The DARKROOM COOKBOOK, Third Edition

I believe the function of the artist in all media is a creation of affi rmations; the search
for and the realization of beauty.
The function of art includes an establishment of communication, at the imaginative
and constructive level, and placing the emphasis of thought and emotion in relationship
to an ideal world.
The glorifi cation of decay, fi lth, disease, despair, and evil succeeds only in blunting our
necessary awareness of these negative qualities . . .
I believe the artist can accomplish most on the agenda for survival by creating beauty,
by setting examples of beauty in order, by embracing the concept of the essential dignity of
the human mind and spirit.
—Ansel Adams