View allAll Photos Tagged Undercurrents
Larga exposición, con una fuerte galerna. Esta un poco trepidada, y es que dos minutos, a pesar de estar sujetando el tripode, con el viento que hacia ...
Aun asi me gusta como quedo.
The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.
William Blake.
William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His so-called prophetic works were said by 20th century critic Northrop Frye to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry led 21st-century critic Jonathan Jones to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced". In 2002, Blake was placed at number 38 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Although he lived in London his entire life (except for three years spent in Felpham), he produced a diverse and symbolically rich œuvre, which embraced the imagination as "the body of God" or "human existence itself".
Although Blake was considered mad by contemporaries for his idiosyncratic views, he is held in high regard by later critics for his expressiveness and creativity, and for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work. His paintings and poetry have been characterised as part of the Romantic movement and as "Pre-Romantic". Reverent of the Bible but hostile to the Church of England (indeed, to almost all forms of organised religion), Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American Revolutions. Though later he rejected many of these political beliefs, he maintained an amiable relationship with the political activist Thomas Paine; he was also influenced by thinkers such as Emanuel Swedenborg. Despite these known influences, the singularity of Blake's work makes him difficult to classify. The 19th-century scholar William Rossetti characterised him as a "glorious luminary", and "a man not forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily surmisable successors". Source Wikipedia.
Sunrise over Esterel mountains chain France.
SUNSET - Florida Everglades U.S.A.
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Clear Winter Sky - February 6th, 2022
South Florida - Palm Beach County, FL
*[left-double-click for a closer-look - bottom-out]
This is an old one that I was never very happy with the processing of, so have given it a bit of a rework
SUNSET - Florida Everglades U.S.A.
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Clear Winter Sky - February 6th, 2022
South Florida - Palm Beach County, FL
*[left-double-click for a closer-look - river]
*[Ibis Flock - In-Flight - Full-Squadron]
From just over a year ago, ice forming at the edge of the Frenchman River. I got in very close with the tripod and macro lens. Even stopped down very small, there was minimal depth of field. But the ice picked up some nice reflections from the bank behind me and the sky above.
Our weather is warming up, the snow is melting fast, temperatures are peaking a few degrees above freezing at midday. Suddenly the prairie has come alive. Prairie dogs have emerged from their deep sleep and are bask in the sunshine, wondering what's on the menu - if anything. Coyotes are thinking that prairie dogs are on the menu. Grouse are facing off on their leks; deer are frisky. Bison remain impassive.
Is spring here? Not likely. I expect more winter to come, including more snow. Still, there's an undercurrent of excitement and a hint of the reawakening that will soon arrive full throttle.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Autumn in the Great Lakes region tends to unfold in two distinct phases. The first part I call 'kind an gentle' as it brings mild weather, sunny days and the glorious color transformation of foliage. At this point we're still just beginning to transition out of summer heat and the initial changeover to cooler weather is at first welcoming. The festive buildup to Halloween helps dispel the undercurrent of unease that occasions the ever-decreasing sunlight. Then November arrives all too suddenly and its arrival brings the realization that the party its over. Nothing punctuates this more for me than the switchover to standard time. Nightfall suddenly starts crashing down around 5:30. And it's not even the earliness of twilight but the quickness of its arrival that gets to me. The long, drawn out sunsets of June are replaced with a free fall where darkness blots out daylight in less than half an hour. Phase two autumn is now in full force and its hostility is palpable. The keynote of the season are the fierce gales that blow up over the Great Lakes. The so-called Witch of November of the sort that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald back in '75. We've had a couple such storms already this year. These are not normal windy day situations. The intensity is much greater and there is less calm in between gusts. And it just goes on and on. The winds strip away the remaining autumn foliage leaving a harsh landscape of bare tree limbs. I get highly ambivalent during these storms. Of course I don't want to lose power or have trees toppling onto the village. Yet I'm invariably drawn outdoors to experience storms firsthand. Nothing seems or feels normal in times like this and I try to use that energy to guide photography. Adverse weather has a way of doing that. And a storm described using the word witch is more than I can bear as far as watching out a window from safe shelter. And so I found myself atop a desolate knoll in an old cemetery at sundown with 20 yards of white cloth stuffed into my parka like a parachute. The winds were cold and buffeted me about like a doll. But the energy was thrilling. I wrapped the cloth around the top of an obelisk and the wind immediately ripped it from my grasp. Instantly it took life, billowing and dancing about, mesmerizing and quite eerie. At times it took on almost a human form that suddenly morphed into something else. Like watching puffy clouds transform from one shape into another on a summer afternoon. That thought was a sharp contrast to these angry, howling winds. The cloth gave form to the unseen winds much the way that fallen leaves do as they ebb and flow across the ground. It felt as if the Witch of November revealed herself in the folds of the cloth, if only for an instant.
SUNSET - Florida Everglades U.S.A.
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Clear Winter Sky - February 6th, 2022
South Florida - Palm Beach County, FL
*[left-double-click for a closer-look - Ibis-flock in-flight]
SURF
Thursday May 18
"As the squirting unfolded on Laura's Beach, it revealed a Lynchian undercurrent, where the ordinary morphed into the extraordinary, and the bizarre became the new norm."
Laura's Beach @ Lynchland
8-9:30pm - DJ Creme
9:30-11pm - DJ H
Lights FX: Myrdin Sommer
I've seen many dolls and figurines depicting clowns, but never anything quite like this one. There doesn't seem to be even a hint or pretext of joy or happiness. It exemplifies the undercurrent of anxiety and sadness that many of us feel about circus clowns. There's a feeling of anguish or even resignation in the expression. I wonder who on earth would want this thing in their home. It's almost like witnessing the death of a clown. Looking at the image now, I am most taken with the makeup, particularly the green diamonds drawn around the eyes. The lips are eerily realistic and I love how the lipstick spreads beyond the bounds of the actual lip area…rather sloppily applied ala Joker in the Batman movies.
©2023 Peter Mardie, all rights reserved. Protected by Pixsy.
It’s as if we were on some desert island. An island on which we may have to remain alone together for years.
(From: Kiss Of The Spider Woman, by Manuel Puig, 1976).
Like herself, the pink flamingo is a shipwreck survivor and her best friend on the island. Come to think of it, the big bird is her only friend on the island. And her coworker also. There is nobody else around, really.
Even so, there are only so many conversations one can have during the course of a normal work day. Eventually, one has heard it all. Boredom sets in. Gentle undercurrents of tension can arise. It is perhaps best to ignore each other for a while.
The Lady From Shanghai: Kangsom
(isn't she fabulous?)
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From our series 'Island Story' - the story of a shipwreck. "Alone and stranded on tropical shores that time forgot, a beautiful Lady from Shanghai struggles for survival, with humor, charm and style. Storms, cannibals and witches - she will encounter them all!"
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Previously, at the office:
www.flickr.com/photos/petermardie/52709427096/in/dateposted/
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7 Steps To Defuse Workplace Tension:
www.entrepreneur.com/leadership/7-steps-to-defuse-workpla...
This message is fully supported by Dr. Ilsa Orloff, our fantastic team para-psychologist!
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Our incipient web page:
"The life of contemplation in action and purity of heart is, then, a life of great simplicity and inner liberty. One is not seeking anything special or demanding any particular satisfaction. One is content with what is. One does what is to be done, and the more concrete it is, the better. One is not worried about the results of what is done. One is content to have good motives and not too anxious about making mistakes. In this way one can swim with the living stream of life and remain at every moment in contact with God, in the hiddenness and ordinariness of the present moment with its obvious task.
At such times, walking down a street, sweeping a floor, walking dishes, hoeing beans, reading a book, taking a stroll in the woods — all can be enriched with contemplation and with the obscure sense of the presence of God. This contemplation is all the more pure in that one does not "look" to see if it is there. Such "walking with God" is one of the simplest and most secure ways of living a life of prayer, and one of the safest. It never attracts anybody's attention, least of all the attention of him who lives it. And he soon learns not to want to see anything special in himself. This is the price of his liberty.
It has been said that such people enjoy "graces akin to contemplation" because they are never fully conscious of their "contemplative state." But it must not be thought that they cannot be real mystics. Indeed, a genuine mystical life may be lived in these conditions. The mystical graces given to such souls may be of an active character, but there is a strong undercurrent of contemplative intuition. This will remain pure and vital as long as one is careful not to lose himself in activity, not to become preoccupied with results, and not to lose his purity of intention. Whether in active or passive contemplation, purity of heart is always the guardian of contemplative truth."
-Thomas Merton in The Inner Experience
SUNSET - Florida Everglades U.S.A.
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Clear Winter Sky - February 6th, 2022
South Florida - Palm Beach County, FL
*[left-double-click for a closer-look - sawgrass]
*[river-flow - afterglow - wetlands - end-series]
We were looking for a safe place to cross to the other side where there is a waterfall behind that ridge, If you don't know the river it can be deceiving, especially for Turk (dog) who isn't a strong swimmer, deep sink holes and undercurrents are lurking even if you can see the bottom. If worse comes to worst we could always lasso him across :) Horse-back shooting.
Şile is a small holiday town on the Black Sea, 70 km from the city of Istanbul, Turkey. In 2000 the population was 32,923, of which 10,571 lived in the town of Şile, and the remainder lived in surrounding villages, including Ağva (Yeşilçay). However, between June and September, the population rapidly increases because of the many residents of Istanbul who have summer houses in Şile.
There has been a fishing village here since 700 BC and a lighthouse since the Ottoman period. Today, Şile is a beach resort, popular with people who want a resort atmosphere without having to go to the expense of travelling to the Mediterranean Sea. Şile is about an hour's drive from the city and was always a retreat from the city. During Turkey's economic boom of the 1990s, a great many summer homes and holiday villages were built for the city's middle class, especially after the 1999 earthquake damaged the Marmara coast. There is a small but sandy beach, a little harbour of fishing boats, dense forest behind and a quiet pleasant atmosphere during the week. At weekends though, and especially on a hot summer Sunday Şile is crowded with day-trippers from the poorer districts of the city, who come packed into minibuses and vans to picnic and play football. There are a number of bars and restaurants with sea views, especially in the little park around the lighthouse.
Şile however, is on the northernmost point of Istanbul and thus, shares the same sea conditions as other Black Sea towns where strong sea undercurrents can be dangerous to inexperienced swimmers. There is insufficient danger warning and people drown here regularly. The north-facing Black Sea has a much shorter holiday season than the Aegean, the Mediterranean or even the Marmara, due to the cold winters.
Wikimedia
Sculpted Ai Weiwei by artist He Xiangyu lies face down on the ground
The Death of Marat, 2011
Fiberglass, silicone, fabric, human hair and leather.
Also have a look at this: flic.kr/p/25hVyJE
Imbued with social and cultural undercurrents, chinese artist He Xiangyu has created a fiberglass representation of Ai Weiwei, curiously positioned in a contorted posture lying face down on ground. the sculpture’s namesake ‘The Death of Marat’ refers to Jacques-Louis David’s 18th century portrait of the french revolutionary leader murdered in his bath. reflecting the political persecution of progressive, sometimes rebellious journalists, artists, and thinkers. Ai Weiwei wears the suit worn by people’s representatives during people’s congress meetings. it simultaneously alludes to his entrapped, imprisoned circumstances as his status as an international art idol, revealing the individual’s actions as well as the speculative relationship between fate and the power structure. (Source: www.designboom.com/art/sculpted-ai-weiwei-by-he-xiangyu-l...)
[A Chinese Journey
The Sigg Collection
17 March - 8 Juli 2018
A Chinese Journey illustrates the versatility of Chinese art production over the past ten years. The exhibition not only reveals a renewed interest on the part of the artists in Chinese traditions and spirituality, but also their reflections on modern-day China and its socio-political problems. The exhibition provides an exotic mix of paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures and video installations. Pieces by 30 different artists, including Zhao Bandi, Feng Mengbo and Ai Weiwei are spread over five galleries. This is the first time that such a vast selection from this world-famous collection has been on display in the Netherlands]
The Victorian era fascinates me, and in particular that culture's obsession with death. I'm blessed to live in an area where it's possible to visit the cemeteries, graves, and mausoleums of that period. And I'm always struck by how differently they viewed things in comparison to modern times. I spend considerable time searching for such things and have a tendency to revel when I find them. Certainly it's made for endless photo explorations and haunting images. However my interest does not begin and end in cemeteries. There is huge appeal to me in everything Victorian, not just the places where their dead are buried. Victorian architecture is by far the most stunning to me. And surviving examples are always eye-catchers, even now, several generations on. These houses exhibit an unmistakeable sense of presence and often stately grandeur. The best ones in my mind are those that remain relatively unchanged over the years, or with renovations that are sensitive to the original design. Owning one of these myself, I can attest it is often frustrating trying to maintain such a place; to try to make it livable my modern standards but at the same time preserve the outward appearance. I often sense myself as the caretaker rather than the homeowner. I have great respect for anyone who decides to take up residence in a century home. There are tradeoffs of course. And one is simply getting to experience living in a place where so much history has transpired.
The subject house, an 1880s-era Victorian appears right off of a movie set. What I love most about these houses is the sense of underlying darkness, as if you are looking at a haunted house. That characteristic seems built into the architecture, much the same as in Gothic designs. Beautiful, charming, but with an undercurrent off unsettling eeriness. This house portrays that wonderfully. The bare trees and iron fence really enhance the look and feel.
SUNSET - Florida Everglades U.S.A.
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Clear Winter Sky - February 6th, 2022
South Florida - Palm Beach County, FL
*[left-double-click for a closer-look - little-peek]
Have you been to India? Oh such a complex land to navigate! Nothing quite prepares you for experience, not even years of traveling in Asia.
Its sights and sounds, mingled with the aroma of exotic spices can overwhelm the visitor. History of the land is complicated by signs of a colonial past that was overthrown by a non- violent force. Many of the majestic architectural masterpieces remain and have been restored. This past joins with many other periods when others of another religion ruled the land and created their own masterpieces. Even the most passionate historian can be overcome with facts and details.
One must add the conflict between religions that seem to be ever present and ever changing: Islam vs. Hinduism. Wars were fought. Many were persecuted. Two nations emerged from one. Though many Muslims moved to Pakistan, many still remain in India. There always seems to be an undercurrent of mistrust.
So as a visitor, one must not only navigate through the past to understand the India of today, but also come to grips with clogged streets of vehicles with horns blasting away, the ever present dust in the air, and the sights of the every day struggles of the outcasts of society.
Who is who? What is poverty? Who is happy? Who is poor? What Hindu god is this? Did a Hindu or Muslim man or a British man build this building?
As much as I had difficulty with some of the arrangements of my first trip, I must applaud the man who sat in his tiny office surrounded by men on phones in front of their computers. He gave me a comprehensive itinerary that took me to places I would never have booked myself.
This is an image of the prayer area of the famous Jana Masjid mosque in Delhi. It was built in the 1650’s from beautiful red sandstone and marble. I will allow you to try to answer the questions I posed above.