Visual Candies
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Enamored by the photography of the mid-nineteenth century with it's attitude toward such elements as scale, linear overlapping, and presence of space, I attempted such in this composition.
I am simply astonished at what those photographers created with their early photography cameras, lenses, and developing techniques.
Sure I took a dozen shots with the digital camera - that's the luxury of what they do... quite an abomination of artistic talent.
Only one shot worked - where the central characters are composed as a stretched diamond and suspended in a jumble of converging lines.
How the masters of the nineteenth century managed to compose their masterpieces with one shot using a view camera is beyond my comprehension.
Der Münchener U-Bahnhof Harthof: Die säulenlose Bahnsteighalle strahlt eine gewisse Nüchternheit aus, ist sie doch in ihrer Gestaltung vergleichsweise "unaufregend". Bei näherer Betrachtung fallen jedoch die durchdacht integrierte Beleuchtung und der behutsame Umgang mit Formen, Farben und Materialien auf. Die gefaltete Dachkonstruktion dient gleichermaßen als Lichtreflektor wie auch als gliederndes Element des Bahnsteigs, hat man doch das Gefühl, in einem Bauwerk mit herkömmlichen Dach zu sein. Die mit hellrosa und granatroten Glasfliesen verzierten Wände nehmen Bezug auf das kräftige rot des Linienbandes. Geplant wurde der Bahnhof vom Architektur-büro Obermeyer in Zusammenarbeit mit dem städtischen U-Bahn-Referat. Eröffnung:
20. November 1993. (Quelle: www.u-bahn-muenchen.de)
Munich’s Harthof Underground Station: The columnless platform hall exudes a certain sobriety, since its design is comparatively “inexciting. ” On closer inspection, however, the well-thought-out integrated lighting and the careful handling of shapes, colours and materials stand out. The folded roof construction serves both as a light reflector and as a structural element of the platform, since you have the feeling of being in a building with a conventional roof. The walls decorated with light pink and garnet red glass tiles refer to the strong red of the line ribbon. The station was planned by the Obermeyer architectural office in collaboration with the city’s subway department. Opening: 20 November 1993. (Source: www. u-bahn-muenchen. de)
Website: www.heiko-roebke-photography.de
The fascinating thing of chameleons are their eyes. They could be moved in every different direction. So they could watch back and forward at the same time!
Please respect my copyright. No use of the photo without my expressly permission.
And: I don't like Comment-Codes, "awards", or such groups. They will be deleted. Explanation at my profile. Also please don't post pictures in the commenting-area. You could post them much better in your own photo stream. Your own words will mean much more to me than a universal-text. ;-D
"If you want to express yourself you must present something tangible. But after a while this has only the function of a historic document. Objects aren't very important any more. I want to get to the origin of matter, to the thought behind it." Joseph Beuys, 1969. Ignore the Exif data, this shot was done with the Helios 44M-7 wide-open.
Clark's Woods - Iowa
Didn't have to venture out very far to capture the early morning delights. Buds, blossoms and leaves are finally "popping" announcing that spring is here in the heartland!
The variety of colors, shapes and size makes a walk in the woods worth the effort!
Photo Art - Copyright 2018
An intentional camera movement shot of strangers visiting art studios during Hebden Bridge Open Studios.
Best viewed full screen.
An ominous view over Clear Lake yesterday morning as the weather forecast was predicting freezing rain, sleet mixed with snow for our area starting late last night!
Well guess what? The weather man must know what he is doing because that is just what we are experiencing here this morning!
Sigh . . . not good!
Copyright 2024
Composite created for the TMI TAA January contest award.
Moose young courtesy of 2_by_decor on Visual Hunt.
Background by Adobe Stock.
Textures by Anna Lenaben on Flickr & Jinterwas on Visual Hunt.
Posted on Facebook.
HE>i
NOTW
This image of my eye was shot by Gabrielle Mensah
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I wanted to post it here as I felt she would get more feedback from my lovely followers here on flickr!
Laguna Miscanti / Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos / Deserto do Atacama / Chile.
4.300 metros de altitude.
2
M+ Art Museum; West Kowloon cultural district
A museum "dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries"
oil on canvas, 70x70 cm
www.instagram.com/p/DPRzJnxjQA8/?img_index=1
"Metamorfosi oscura" significa letteralmente "trasformazione oscura", e si riferisce a un processo di cambiamento profondo e spesso non chiaramente visibile o compreso, che può portare a perdite e acquisti, e che si discosta dalla normalità o da uno stato precedente.
Un individuo che, dopo un evento difficile, si ritrova ad essere cambiato interiormente, con uno sguardo diverso sulla vita, dovendo adattarsi a una realtà percepita come più buia o complicata.
Il passaggio da un'innocenza iniziale a una consapevolezza delle tenebre e delle difficoltà della vita, senza filtri.
Un processo di auto-analisi in solitudine che può portare a una comprensione profonda del dolore e del trauma, ma anche a un ripiegamento oscuro e a una trasformazione della persona.
"Metamorfosi oscura" può riferirsi a diversi concetti, tra cui l'ipotetico libro di Roberta Bruzzone sul narcisismo maligno e le sue conseguenze devastanti in adolescenza, l'opera omonima di Kafka che esplora l'emarginazione e la solitudine, l'opera omonima di Kafka che esplora l'emarginazione e la solitudine, e il tema generale della trasformazione in un'altra forma, come un essere vivente che diventa pianta o animale. L'opera di Kafka, "La metamorfosi", è una novella che esplora temi come l'emarginazione, la solitudine e la trasformazione di un individuo in un insetto gigante, mettendo in luce la sua condizione di "diverso" all'interno della famiglia e della società.
Ilulissat Icefjord Greenland My 500 link 500px.com/yiannispavlis my facebook www.facebook.com/YiannisPavlis4/ my instagram
An image taken when I was in New Mexico photographing an Indian Day School in Sanostee, near Ship Rock. It was a pretty breezy evening with red dust blowing. I turned around to get the wind out of my face, and this is the view I saw. That's Mitten Rock on the right and the road is Indian Service Rte 13 heading towards Arizona.
Photo Description (Gemini AI)
The Spiritual Realism of Gib Singleton: Materiality and Supplication in "Opening the Heart"
Visual Analysis of the Monumental Courtyard Installation
The photograph showcases a monumental, life-sized bronze sculpture titled Opening the Heart by the renowned American sculptor Gilbert "Gib" Singleton. The sculpture is installed in an outdoor courtyard along Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico, positioned directly in front of the Legacy Gallery. The composition is framed against a classic Pueblo Revival adobe building with soft, rounded, terracotta-tinted plaster walls, exposed dark wooden vigas (roof beams) projecting above a recessed entryway, and a partially visible bronze plaque reading "LEGACY GALLERY" in the background.
At the center of the image, the bronze figure of a Native American man stands on a flat, circular bronze base, which rests on a elevated, square masonry pedestal topped with a cracked, rustic stone slab. The figure is captured in a state of profound spiritual supplication, with his head tilted completely backward, facing the sky. His eyes are closed, his face is serene yet emotionally charged, and his mouth is slightly parted in prayer or song. His muscular arms are thrown wide and high in a dramatic "V" shape, with his hands open and palms facing upward to the heavens. He is adorned with traditional Native American elements: multiple strands of thick, textured beaded necklaces, bracelets on his wrists, a loincloth, and heavily textured, fringed leather leggings and moccasins.
To the right of the figure’s feet, resting on the masonry pedestal, is a highly detailed, hollow bronze sculpture of a bighorn sheep or ram skull, its prominent curled horns adding a stark, desert-themed iconographical element to the base of the monument. To the left of the sculpture, also resting on the stone-slab pedestal, sits a large, rounded ceramic planter. The planter features a rich, glossy glaze that transitions from a deep, earthy crimson red at the base to a dripping, cobalt blue and turquoise wash at the rim. This vessel is overflowing with vibrant, living flora, including tall, spiky green ornamental grasses, purple petunias, yellow pansies, and bright red tubular wildflowers.
The scene is bathed in the brilliant, high-altitude sunlight characteristic of northern New Mexico, which casts sharp shadows beneath the pedestal, the planter, and the sculptural folds of the bronze figure’s clothing. Behind the adobe building, a delicate deciduous tree with deep burgundy or reddish-purple leaves stands out against the warm plaster, while taller green trees frame the left side of the composition under a vibrant blue sky filled with soft, wispy white cirrus clouds.
The Artist and the Aesthetic of Spiritual Realism
To understand the stylistic and emotional weight of the sculpture in the photograph, one must examine the life and artistic philosophy of its creator, Gib Singleton (1935–2014). Represented heavily in the elite gallery spaces of Santa Fe, Singleton pioneered a genre he termed "spiritual realism" or "emotional realism". Trained at the Art Institute of Chicago and later at the prestigious Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy, Singleton developed a deep mastery of classical European bronze casting. While in Italy, his technical expertise was so highly regarded that he assisted in the restoration of Michelangelo’s damaged Pietà.
Despite his classical European training, Singleton returned to the American West, where he fused his deep spiritual beliefs and familiarity with Biblical narratives with the mysticism and iconography of Native American culture. His works are instantly recognizable by their highly expressive, tactile surfaces. Singleton chose not to polish his bronzes to a smooth finish; instead, the bronze retains the raw, gestural finger marks, tool textures, and clay-working scars from the original wax and clay maquettes.
When placed in the intense, direct sunlight of Santa Fe's high-altitude environment, these heavily textured surfaces perform a critical visual role. The rough, hand-worked bronze catches the light unevenly, generating deep shadows within the hollows of the muscles and brilliant highlights along the raised ridges of the figure's arms, necklaces, and fringed leggings. This interaction between light and rough metal gives the sculpture a flickering, lifelike quality, making the stationary figure appear to vibrate with spiritual energy as the sun moves across the sky.
Iconography and the Southwestern Landscape Dialogue
The composition of Opening the Heart utilizes a powerful triad of visual elements—the supplicant human figure, the hollow ram skull, and the thriving floral planter—to establish a symbolic dialogue on life, mortality, and transcendence.
The Supplicant Figure
The central figure's physical posture is a universal gesture of surrender and connection to a higher power. By throwing his arms wide and tilting his head completely back, the figure exposes his chest and throat, displaying vulnerability and absolute trust in the cosmos. The closed eyes and slightly parted mouth suggest an internal, meditative state that transcends the physical surroundings, converting the gallery courtyard into a sacred space.
The Bighorn Ram Skull
Positioned at the figure’s feet, the bronze ram skull serves as a classic Southwestern memento mori. It represents the harsh, uncompromising reality of the desert, physical mortality, and the remnants of past life. The contrast between the upright, living posture of the man and the hollow, earthbound skull beneath him emphasizes the cyclical nature of existence.
The Glazed Planter and Living Flora
The inclusion of the glazed ceramic pot, bursting with green grasses and brightly colored wildflowers, acts as a vital counterpoint to the static bronze and dry adobe walls. While the bronze skull represents death and the bronze figure represents spiritual aspiration, the living plants represent the physical renewal of the earth. The dripping blue and red glaze of the pot mimics the colors of water and earth, anchoring the installation to the immediate, tangible ecosystem of the high desert.
Cultural and Architectural Integration on Canyon Road
The placement of Opening the Heart in front of the Legacy Gallery highlights the deliberate spatial curation that defines the Canyon Road art district. By positioning a highly vertical, expressive sculpture against the low, heavy, horizontal planes of a Pueblo Revival adobe building, the curators create a powerful visual tension.
Adobe architecture, rooted in the ancient building traditions of the Pueblo and Spanish cultures, represents a grounded, earthbound aesthetic. The soft mud-plastered walls seem to emerge directly from the soil, emphasizing mass, shelter, and horizontal lines. When Singleton's figure is placed in this context, his upward-reaching arms and skyward gaze break through this horizontal plane, acting as a visual lightning rod that directs the viewer's attention away from the terrestrial architecture and up toward the vast New Mexico sky. This architectural dialogue reinforces the core theme of the sculpture: the human attempt to rise above physical boundaries and establish a direct connection with the infinite.
The most famous street in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is Canyon Road. Located near downtown, this historic half-mile stretch is world-renowned for its high concentration of art galleries, studios, restaurants, and adobe architecture.
www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60958-d117221-Revi...
Over 80 art galleries line this charming Santa Fe street. Make sure you set aside a few hours of your stay to walk down Canyon Road and see the world-class art on display here, which ranges in style from historic Native American art to contemporary painting. In addition to art galleries, you'll also find boutiques and restaurants along Canyon Road. Be sure to take note of the adobe architecture in this atmospheric arts district. Canyon Road has a very long history, and many of today's galleries and shops are located historic buildings that were once homes, schools, or grocery stores. You can wander Canyon Road on your own, or for more insight on the history of the area and the artwork on view, guided tours are available.
New Mexico 2026