Art & Perception

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1. Comment by Jay          October 12, 2009, 9:28 am

   Birgit:

   Reflecting on your reflections I have to say that you chose well. A scattering of people-parts with one person bemused as she regards the camera, the come-hither window decoration contrasting with the reflected stone and macadam, the implied contrast of street smells with the promised aromas within and the rather matter-of-fact presentation conspire to create a looker.

   But I was set up for this as I came across a L’Occitane candle, redolent with rich beeswax at a garage sale. It will make a good holiday gift, if I can resist the impulse to light ‘er up.

2. Comment by Birgit Zipser          October 12, 2009, 10:05 am

   Jay,

   Redolent and bemused!

   Can I find a motif in nature that supplies reflections originating from different angles? Breaking waves ?

3. Comment by Jay          October 12, 2009, 12:19 pm

   Birgit:

   Yes you can.There is a lead mineral called galena whose crystals are metallic and highly reflective. Same can be said for iron pyrites and quartz crystals can be both refractive and reflective. Calcite. The list goes on.

4. Comment by June Underwood          October 12, 2009, 12:34 pm

   Oh, Birgit, Richard Estes without a hint of irony, just whimsical cheefulness. I love it. Let me ditto Jay with all his insights — the “perfume” touch adds to the perfection.

   Part of the joy here is the unexpected — the gazing woman isn’t a paper-thin model with a haughty demeanor — it’s a genuinely interesting human being. “Perfume” in front of peacock pushes against the genuine world reflected from the outside. The multitude of imagery, both reflected and inside, is like a cornucopia, spilling out at me, making me smile.

   I don’t know how you can do this with nature, but the good-natured feel of the photograph and its multiplicity of elements would have to be included in the galenic mineral.

   Another quick thought about the photograph — part of its charm is that the viewer doesn’t know where she locates herself — outside the window, of course, but then there’s that reflection — is that herself? Maybe, but she’s looking at it, so it can’t be herself. It’s a delicious confusion, an “un-orientation” if you will from the photo-as-window.

5. Comment by Birgit Zipser          October 12, 2009, 3:03 pm

   June,

   the viewer doesn’t know where she locates herself — outside the window, of course, but then there’s that reflection — is that herself?

   I had not thought of that ‘un-orientation’