Photo of the Week 2013-11-25

Another "tych" created from images of the replica David in Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, this time with two images.

I am intrigued by how these two different perspectives of the same statue, from images taken within minutes of each other, seem to convey completely different emotion. The image on the left defiant and confident vs the image on the right concerned and perhaps unsure.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-11-18

Perhaps the highlight of highlights for me on our Italy trip was getting to see Michelangelo's David, The Original. I had not expected to ever be so moved, so stirred, so captivated by any single work of art.

Our trip to the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze began with an introduction to our local Guide, Rosa. Her enthusiasm for Micelangelo, his art and of course Firenze's beloved David were simply contagious. She got our group organized and set up in the queue for entry to the museum while she answered questions and provided some of the history of Florentine art, Renaissance art, Michelangelo and David. Entry to the museum required us to pass through security and metal detectors before Rosa could lead us through the preliminary exhibits. I expected it would take some time before we would see David, but very quickly Rosa announced in her charming Italian accent; "and now we go see David".

Passing through a large door way, we entered at the end of what can be described as a grand hall. The unfinished works of Michelangelo including those known as the "prisoners" glowed in warm light as they line the hall leading to David standing under a single high dome in stark cool light emphasizing the white of the larger than life Carrara marble figure.

As we approached and circled the statue, I lost myself, studying the work, the scale, the details, amazed that a figure carved from solid stone could be so life-like that it might move at any moment. As with many of the museums and churches we visited on our trip, photography was not allowed inside, so I point you to online resources for a sense of the  experience. David (Michelangelo), the Wiki article is a good starting point. The scrolling banner of the UFIZZI.org site has images of the original David that help me relive the experience. I ended up purchasing a few postcard size images of David from the museum gift shop so I would at least have some photographs from the visit. 

My own photography was limited to replicas of David. Notably the replica that replaced the original in Piazza della Signoria and the bronze replica in Piazzale Michelangleo. I found it difficult to capture an image that I was satisfied with. Lighting, backgrounds, lack of accessibility all added to the challenge. Going through my images, I've selected and processed a series images made of details from the replica in Piazza della Signoria one evening.

DJE

Photo of the Week 2013-11-11

Lest We Forget

Their names were Belrose, Adair and Schmidt, Lyons, Adams, Spears and Leonard ... and oh so many with the name Hopkins.

I took the time to visit the Cenotaph in Tobermory, Ontario this weekend in advance of Remembrance Day. The number of white crosses standing in tribute, each adorned with a name, Canadian flag and red poppy, measured the sacrifice this small community made for the future... Our future... My future.

As I walked along beside the crosses, reading names, I offered my abiding appreciation to each and every one of those honoured there and to the thousands upon thousands who also made the sacrifice.

Ode of Remembrance

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.

Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,

Theyfell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

DJE

            

Photo of the Week 2013-11-04

More and more frequently, in recent years, there is something that increasingly catches my eye, making me stop what I am doing, giving me pause, sending me deep into thought and personal reflection. The "something" is my hands.

What I notice are not the scars they have accumulated, the veins that have become more prominent or the knuckles that sometimes ache. What I notice is how they remind me of father's hands, or at least how I remembered his hands to be. I'm not sure what it was about his hands, they weren't particularly large although they were uniquely his. There are also other times when I look in the mirror and see some of my father looking back at me in my own facial features, but mostly it's about the hands. I find something calming and comforting in those brief glimpses.

Then a short while ago, after attempting to sketch my own hand in a drawing exercise, during conversation I mentioned how my hands were reminding me more and more of Dad's. I said that it would have been nice if I had sketched our hands together, or had them sketched by an accomplished artist. Continuing, I thought aloud and wished I was better at it so I could do a sketch my mother's hands. It was suggested that I go ahead and do it, just go ahead and sketch them ... or maybe photograph them.

Soooo ... on a recent visit with mom, we sat talking in her room as we usually do, catching up on things. At one point she laughed and reached out to grasp my hand with both of hers. That was my signal. I grabbed the camera I had with me and asked mom to "do it again" ... 

loving hands

DJE