Thanks to everyone for the comments during the challenge. But a very great thank you to jdannels and posthumous for their great work.
The comments:
tnun Extraordinarily accessible despite the combinative assault of homely and artsy detail. It is of course the humility of the artist's expression, the meditative aspect of the heavily draped statue, and the dignity of the icon which lead the viewer so gently to an acknowledgement of the dimensions of human artistry. (There must be a better way to say this. This photo speaks to me).
I'm sensing more restoration work rather than just "a painter" at work which demands quite a bit more skill. It's so ironically fitting that he is completely engrossed in the act of repairing while his shop appears to be in a state of decay.
Yes, the trinity of figures just spear straight down through this. They are so connected that I think about the lineage of art, reaching back and forward.
I quite like the eccentricity of this shot. The surrounding of the sole man of rather bizarre objects is quite intruiguing. It allows one's mind to question whether the man, himself is eccentric as well. Even the dress on the statue or bust behind him makes me want to explore his world further to see what else lurks in there. One has to wonder why he is restoring these old pieces or where they will end up as they are rather oddball objects. Works well in B&W tones.
This is a wonderful peek into someone's working environment! I very much enjoy it.
But allow me to share another reaction that is less about your photograph and more about my relationship with it:
As soon as I opened this image, one thought kept forcing out all others:
This is the sort of photograph that an artistic photographer is supposed to most appreciate. It is black and white, the subject is an artist at work, the photographer seems to have gone unnoticed, the focus isn't altogether sharp, the editing is minimal etc. etc.
My reaction to that thought is an urge in the opposite direction of course (no one wants to feel socially bullied into liking anything)!
So I am struggling with myself right now... what to think...and that in itself is a pleasure, so... you're going to hollywood!
A nice human interest shot that carries itself well. I think some selected levels or dodging would have helped to distinguish painter from his surroundings.
I like the clutter, and the way that it somehow looks like it all belongs.
posthumous This is a wonderful "environmental portrait," pushing the envelope of how much environment you can have without the subject disappearing. I like it on the edge, like the gymnast who takes her leaps all the way to the edge of the square without going over the line. I also like the parallelism between the sculpture, bent down in a gesture of suffering, with the artist, bent down in a gesture of creation. It suggests some connection between the two.
This is fasinating how the viewer (at least I) starts at the upper left and 'reads' the image... First comes the statue... then the painting and then POP comes the real person shocking us into reality. BW is a good choice for this since we're not distracted by color.
I like the way the heads lead one tot he next, how the smallest one in the BG is like a bonus element and the whole point of the image at the same time.
I like the juxtaposition of elements in this composition.
The whole flea market, antique shop, mixed with the mundane images of the painter and network switches, however, don't make for an "appealing" image to me. Kind of melancholy. Kind of like me commenting on other people's artistic endeavors.
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
