Wednesday, November 14

5 Mirrors, 6 Windows



Bedroom Window on the Arno, Florence, Italy, Oct-2007

Sometimes I feel less like a spectator than a speculator about my feelings. You get that, right? I wind up, not so much presenting facts as representing emotions. Someone told me that speculation is a necessary condition of artistic creation. Andrew Wyeth, for example, represents ideas as feelings. His work shows misty colors that a hand-wave might swipe away... along with the moment.  


GEEK STUFF: Shot of the Arno grabbed with my Canon 60's  EFS 17-85mm lens. Hand-held at about 7:30am in the very early Fall of 2007. Processed in PS-CC and Topaz Clarity to enhance the dynamic range of the curtains. Our second floor apartment was on the Lungarno Ameriga Vespucci about 4 blocks down-stream from the Ponte Veccio. 

5 comments:

Cedric said...

That is a fascinating perspective and I am not just talking about your picture which evokes not only emotions, but an entire lifestyle. Peaceful, serene, carefree, all come to mind. But then, stepping up to the window, the feeling of anticipation for a new day transmutes itself to ones of apprehension and surprise at the sight of what looks like smoke from a massive fire. There's fury there that clashes with the tranquillity of the river. The window acts as a frame to all of this drama, while next to it another frame encloses a mirror, reflecting the inner reality of the room I am standing in. The scene in the mirror, the earthy coloured stripes, is, quite incredibly, equally captivating.
Now for the other fascinating perspective that you present. Looking at feelings as a speculator. Are you suggesting this in the sense that you are theorising about emotions without the provision of evidence? I never contemplated it that way but I suspect that a lot of good art would do that. Your image certainly does that. There is nothing in the image that factually corelates my perception of the scene and yet I cannot deny how I felt.
Nicely done.

Andreas said...

Cedric, I swear the sky was BLUE! There must have been manipullation involved. This ... this ... image is not a True image !1!!

Yup, verry nice indeed :)

BTW: Ted, have I seen this image before? I can vividly remember it, I know you told me about the room, but it's almost as if I'd been there. I see you in this room, talking to me on the phone after we lost each other. I could swear that this is the image that I saw in my mind these eleven years ago. Or is it an archetype and you've triggered a false memory? Strange.

Ted said...

Merry Christmas Andreas hope you and Irene are warm and content in front of a fireplace, adult beverages in hand.

Yep, you've seen abd commented on this image back on Craig's Mindful Eye (how many years was that?). I felt a compulsion to diddle with it given how much I've learned over that time. Also, we live quite near to Brandywine Museum that's been built to support the Wyeth family. I think that Andrew's fragile lighting and palettes continue to inspire me. I haven't quite got the technique, nor the talent, but it's enervating to play with the inspiration.

Ted said...

Felix, you ask about my comment, “I am looking upon feelings as a speculator.” Well, no. I filter my feelings through evidence to evaluate which feeling an individual work can best reflect (or support)… and which by derivative.. might be the cleanest way to have others access those feelings. I speculate about in which to invest as I build a piece. Of course there are alternatives in every piece, and many alternative pieces to express the same feelings. Um, does that make sense?

Regardless, let me express a feeling of hope that you and your family’s Christmas feelings are Merry and filled with sweet wonder.

Ted said...

Sorry about the delay fellas. As you can see in the following post, it was a bitchin' problem to make responses this time. AAARGH!