tuscany # 86 / ku # 642 / man & nature # 254 ~ poetry

Sunlight at the bottom of the steps ~ Viliano, Tuscany • click to embiggen
Sunlight on the side of the road ~ Wilmington, NY • click to embiggenOnce again Matt Dallos has offered us an interesting comment in his answer to the question, has photography failed you? (FYI, his answer was, "yes"):

.... I have just run into too many situations in the past 12-18 months when what I was seeing in the world and what I wanted to show about the world just couldn't be done with photography... I have found a new place for photography. It will become my poetry, showing what cannot and should not be explained.

I have always thought that photography was akin to poetry. Like good poetry, pictures can be lyrical, complex, and seemingly inscrutable with meaning(s) that requires delving into the feeling(s) they traffic in in order to "understand" their meaning(s). Good pictures, like good poetry, can open the door to many interpretations and, as such, they often ask as many questions as they pose answers. And, as is true of the best of Art, the more "experience" (in life, in the Arts, etc.) the viewer brings to the proceeding, the more can be gained from it.

That said, as I have mentioned on many occasions, in the medium of photography (unlike many of the other Arts), there is the tradition of the artist statement, which can be an invaluable aid in "interpreting" pictures.

Many of the simple-minded in the crowd object quite strenuously to the artist statement, most often on the grounds that they do not want to be "told what to think" or that a picture(s) that "needs" an artist statement is somehow faulty in as much as the artist has not made his/her intent perfectly clear. That, my friends, is pure unadulterated BS.

An artist statement is intended to let the viewers of an artist's work have a peek into the mind of the artist - what was on their mind as they made their work. It is not intended as a how-to-view-this-art instructional manual. One should take the artist statement for whatever worth the viewer judges it to have and the viewer should always do what people with a brain do - think for yourself when viewing a piece(s) of Art.

That said, let me be perfectly blunt - with one caveat: in my experience - those who object mostly vigorously to the idea of an artist statement, are generally those who could not write even the simplest of one for themselves.

BTW, I almost always read an artist statement after I have viewed any given work. That said, I always read an artist statement when one is available.

tuscany # 85 ~ a tuscan house

Rectory door ~ Bagnoro, Tuscany • click to embiggen

tuscany # 84 ~ I swear, it's in their DNA

Altar in a small church ~ Cortona, Tuscany • click to embiggenIn this morning's newspaper there was an article about the Mormons who seem to deem have their knickers in a bit of a twist over the idea as stated in the article headline - Mormon leader afraid religious freedom under attack. The first paragraph of the article stated:

The anti-Mormon backlash after California voters overturned gay marriage last fall is similar to the intimidation of southern blacks during the civil rights movement, a high-ranking Mormon said Tuesday.

The high-ranking Mormon went on to state:

The tide of public opinion in favor of religion is receding, and this probably portends public pressure for laws that impinge on religious freedom.

Ignoring the obvious irony of the fact that the Mormon religion is all in favor of laws that impinge upon what is viewed by many as civil right and the fact that loopy statements like "The anti-Mormon backlash ... is similar to the intimidation of southern blacks during the civil rights movement" are a big part of the reason that "The tide of public opinion in favor of religion is receding ...", one has to ask the high-ranking Mormon official the question (as uttered by Barney Frank) -

Sir, on what planet do you spend most of your time?

Of course, he may be privy to video footage of marching Mormons being hosed and attacked by police dogs that I am unaware of. And, although unbeknownst to me, I suppose it is possible that Mormons are being forced to sit in the back of the bus, drink from separate fountains, go to segregated schools, and are refused service at Woolworth lynch counters - oops, I meant lunch counters. But, even if true (not), I still don't think that a single one of them is capable of having a dream.

All of that said, why is it that so many from the various Christian sects, especially here in the good 'ole US of America where they are free to believe, worship, and conduct their lives - as opposed to trying to conduct the lives of others - in any religious manner they choose, feel "repressed" and/or "persecuted"?

Oh, wait .... maybe the above picture-in-a-picture gives us a clue ....

tuscany # 78-83 ~ things that go together

One side othe hedgerow and the other ~ Tuscany • click to embiggen
Dense fog ~ above Bagnoro, Tuscany • click to embiggen
Looking up and down ~ above Bagnoro, Tuscany • click to embiggenAs many who have been familiar with my work for a while know, I am a fan of diptychs and triptychs. While I have yet to set out to do a specific series of either, one or the other technique seems to pop up spontaneously now and again as I am picturing.

tuscany # 77 ~ a devil brew

Grape residue, Poggio Casciano ~ outside Firenze, Tuscany • click to embiggenIn Italy, by law, wineries are required to give their grape residue / pomace - the solid remains of grapes, olives, or other fruit after pressing for juice or oil - to grappa makers.

Grappa is a rather potent (75-125 US proof) that is intended for use as a digestivo, an after-dinner drink to aid in the digestion of heavy meals. Or, as I discovered, it can be consumed in "appropriate" quantities - straight, no ice or mixer - with the net result of getting rather hammered.

Grappa is best avoided by those who don't like a beverage with a bite and a kick. However, if you do like it that way, proceed with caution and keep your plans for the next day rather loose.

tuscany # 75 ~ red trucks

Red trucks on the road to Pienza • click to embiggen

ku # 629 / tuscany # 74 ~ even more autumn color

Old olive tree, above Bagnoro, Tuscany • click to embiggen
Adirondack thicket, along Lake George • click to embiggenTwo pictures in the autumn mist - 1 in Tuscany, 1 in the Adirondacks.

tuscany # 66-69 ~ the seat of power

Pius II's gardens ~ Pienza, Tuscany • click to embiggen
Val d'Orcia from Pius II's garden ~ Pienza, Italy • click to embiggenPope Pius II - Enea Silvio Piccolomini - was an interesting guy due in large part to the fact that he was a humanist. That and the fact that during the first 42 years of his life he was more than a bit of a rake (a no-marriage father of 2 children - pre-cleric - by 2 different women, 1 in Scotland, 1 in Strasburg) as well as an author (The Tale of Two Lovers - the bestselling book of the 15th century), poet (poet laureate - court of Emperor Frederick III, Vienna) - erotic poems his specialty, playwright (Chrysis - an "obscene" comedy), traveler, and something of a political opportunist. And speaking of opportunist, he became a priest at age 42 because ... imagine this ... he reckoned that there were more opportunities open to him as a cleric.

All of the man's follies and foibles are well known because Pius II wrote an uncommonly honest, forthright, and detailed (lengthy) autobiography, Commentaries, which is the only autobiography ever written by a reigning Pope.

Interesting, but what captures my imagination the most about Pius II is his arguably egomaniacal razing of the village of his birthplace, Corsignano, and the rebuilding of it with the first application of humanist urban planning concepts - concepts that were adopted in other Italian towns and cities and eventually spread to other European centers. And of course, after the rebuilding, Pius II renamed the village Pienza or "Pope's Village".

The humanist urban planning revolved around the notion of an ideal Renaissance village. The central piazza (plaza) is defined by 4 buildings: Palazzo Piccolomini, the Pope's (summer) residence; the Duomo (Cathedral); Palazzo Borgia, the palace to house the bishops who would travel to Pienza to attend the pope; and, Palazzo Comunale, the town hall.

All of that said and relative to the above pictures, Pienza is perfectly situated on a hilltop with an amazing and panoramic view of Val d'Orcia to the south. Knowing full well how to gild a lily, Pius II had his piazza placed on the edge of the hillside with with 3 stories of balconies facing south overlooking both his gardens and the Val d'Orcia. No matter which way one may choose to look, the view is nothing short of absolutely stunning.

The wife and I took a tour of Palazzo Piccolomini where, unfortunately for me, no picture making was allowed inside the residence. When we were in Pius II's bedroom, I so wanted to picture the elaborate and ornate throne-like chair that sat in the corner of the room because, with its hinged seat, it was, indeed, the Pope's "throne".

BTW, it's worth a mention that, as I was picturing the view of Val d'Orcia and the gardens, the heavens set forth some glorious light with which I was able to picture. I consider those moments of grace as a papal blessing for all of my clean living.

Val d'Orcia from a balcony ~ Palazzo Piccolomini - Pienza, Italy • click to embiggen

The keen viewer of the above pano may be able to pick out elements of at least 2, if not all 3 of the above telephoto-lens views of Val d'Orcia.