The Inevitability of Shadows
Clouds Over the Mediterranean - 22.2.03 - Etan J Tal Shadows created by objects obscuring the source(s) of available light in the physical world are often breathtakingly beautiful and poetic in appearance. Providing the contrast needed to delineate forms, shadows can create marvelous displays of subtle colouration even to the point of psychedelia if the visual conditions are right. Some examples i can think of are the eerie moonlight shadows on a snow covered landscape, or the late afternoon shadows in the forests of a deep mountain valley or the play of shadows on ocean waves under a crescent moon. These are experiences not to miss if the opportunity ever presents itself.
Unfortunately, shadows are often only seen in this context and not in the other more complex realms of human experience such as in dreams, social relationships, cultural understandings, psychology, the supernatural and indelible memories.
Shadows also play a big part in perception in art and photography where light contrasts give the surfaces of objects a sense of depth, more detail and drama. Relief isn't relief without the shadow that reveals surface texture in/on a work of art. Intaglio is meant to bring the illusion of textural depth to a surface that has been plotted in advance. If there's light, there's shadow and i'm glad of it! Below are three pictures showing a subtle mood transition of shadow on architecture. Shadow alters feeling!
Unfortunately, shadows are often only seen in this context and not in the other more complex realms of human experience such as in dreams, social relationships, cultural understandings, psychology, the supernatural and indelible memories.
Shadows also play a big part in perception in art and photography where light contrasts give the surfaces of objects a sense of depth, more detail and drama. Relief isn't relief without the shadow that reveals surface texture in/on a work of art. Intaglio is meant to bring the illusion of textural depth to a surface that has been plotted in advance. If there's light, there's shadow and i'm glad of it! Below are three pictures showing a subtle mood transition of shadow on architecture. Shadow alters feeling!
Dusk - Melbourne Aus - c2012 - William M Boot For each person the idea of "shadow" brings personal experience to mind. From childhood, the extent to which "light" was apprehended as "memorable lived experience" will dictate the attitude taken to "light" and its magical effects on "things!" If the "tween" (twilight) time of day and night and the quality of waxing and waning light have coincided with negative personal events then the "shadow" play of light on the Earth will become a thing to be feared; a trigger mechanism for distasteful memories. If the time of shadows has been positive then the appreciation of the mystery of light will be felt and appreciated for a lifetime!
Psycho-emotional or "personal" shadows echo the fears carried through experience which are directly tied to the quotidian memories of a lifetime. Shadows lurk in the recesses of the mind waiting to extend their influence into the waning light and descending darkness. Many have written of the fear encountered of every loathsome thing imagined hiding there in the shadows waiting to inflict anxiety and suffering! There is a chasm between those who wait for the twilight or the early dawn with joyous hearts and others who flee from it with a melancholic dread. This is the power of light and shadow and their convergence with human experience.
The shadows in dreams or "standing in the shadows of love," the shadows of social standing and the shadows found in relationships all haunt us in different ways. Alternatively, we may seek shelter and comfort in shadows in response to the secrets harbored deep inside and try to hide from the pain that hurt and suffering have brought. Psalm 91 states that, "Whoever dwells in the shadow of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Shadows are received by all as both "friend" and "foe" and remain a powerful agent for change. No-one can escape the ceaseless change of light from day to new day and the shadows that accompany that passage! The challenge for each one is to overcome the fear of shadows and feel the inspiration of their "beauty!"
Psycho-emotional or "personal" shadows echo the fears carried through experience which are directly tied to the quotidian memories of a lifetime. Shadows lurk in the recesses of the mind waiting to extend their influence into the waning light and descending darkness. Many have written of the fear encountered of every loathsome thing imagined hiding there in the shadows waiting to inflict anxiety and suffering! There is a chasm between those who wait for the twilight or the early dawn with joyous hearts and others who flee from it with a melancholic dread. This is the power of light and shadow and their convergence with human experience.
The shadows in dreams or "standing in the shadows of love," the shadows of social standing and the shadows found in relationships all haunt us in different ways. Alternatively, we may seek shelter and comfort in shadows in response to the secrets harbored deep inside and try to hide from the pain that hurt and suffering have brought. Psalm 91 states that, "Whoever dwells in the shadow of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Shadows are received by all as both "friend" and "foe" and remain a powerful agent for change. No-one can escape the ceaseless change of light from day to new day and the shadows that accompany that passage! The challenge for each one is to overcome the fear of shadows and feel the inspiration of their "beauty!"
Patterns and Shadows - 8.1.10 - Eastern Shore Charlie In nature there are "acoustic shadows" where sound disappears or fades, there are "rain shadows" where rain hardly falls due to an acute scarcity of cloud and atmospheric moisture, usually on the lee side of tall mountains. There are shadows caused in the universe by celestial bodies that pass in front of each other obscuring the nearest strong light source which is usually a star. The shadow these events cause is called an "eclipse" as in, eclipse of the sun or moon. These shadows are marvelous phenomena to witness in nature and we view them as essentially positive events in the larger scheme of things. The operational characteristics of these "shadows" may be different to each other but we classify them as shadows because of the "blanketing" or "covering" effect that a shadow has on its immediate surroundings. Sometimes we can even witness multiple layers of shadow, particularly with light when there are diverse convergent sources of light from different angles being blocked by an object.
Humans Are Weird - 27.4.13 - Robert Popowski The term "shadow" has also been given to "paranormal" or "supernatural" manifestations such as "ghosts," "phantoms" and "demons!" References to these phenomenon by witnesses as recorded in written history, describe the appearance or physical quality of spiritual "entities" as having "shadow-like" attributes. Shadows are transparent enabling every detail to be seen through the shadow even right up until the light source is completely gone and total darkness remains. In the same way many "paranormal" entities have been described as having the same ethereal qualities. In comparing the innocent and natural "shade-like" features of shadows to the often menacing and scary "spirit" entities of horror stories and films found in most cultures, much damage has been done in the minds of many who have been subjected to or subjected themselves to unnecessary sources of fear. Sadly, many people today have a strange and unnatural fear of the "dark" and "shadows!"
Quince, Cabbage and Cucumber - 1602- Juan Sanchez Cotan In art the use of shadow is termed "chiaroscuro" or "sfumato" particularly in painting where contrast is desired to heighten a sense of "reality" or the illusion of depth in the picture composition. Many painters from the "renaissance" onward after the manner of Leonardo Da Vinci, imitated and innovated with shadow in their work in order to attain a high level of the "realism" valued by powerful patrons of the period like the "Medici" family. For centuries until the advent of "Impressionism" artists used shadow to put "life-like" contrast into their masterpieces. Shadow in painting banished "flatness" and resulted in an incredible legacy of "Western" fresco and oil painting. It is shadow that altered European perception and ultimately the progressive vision of "Western" civilization.
One of my favorites is this sublime still life by the Spaniard Juan Sanchez Cotan. As far as we know he only did a few of these but they are superb, demonstrating the fantastic technical and perceptual skills that the European craftsmen had attained. The attention to detail and the innovative use of deep, rich, velvety shadow and negative space is unusual, even advanced for this time period! Don't stop here! Check out the incredible use of shadow in the work of Caravaggio. It is hard to believe the eyes sometimes. The use of shadow runs through art and culture like a ... shadow? Well, at least in the legacy of traditional Western art. References and use of "shadow" is also found in songs, poems and film and elaborately so in the "Film Noir" and "Gothic" genres. Some examples are "Kiss Me Deadly," "They Live By Night," "Rebecca" and "Rosemary's Baby."
One of my favorites is this sublime still life by the Spaniard Juan Sanchez Cotan. As far as we know he only did a few of these but they are superb, demonstrating the fantastic technical and perceptual skills that the European craftsmen had attained. The attention to detail and the innovative use of deep, rich, velvety shadow and negative space is unusual, even advanced for this time period! Don't stop here! Check out the incredible use of shadow in the work of Caravaggio. It is hard to believe the eyes sometimes. The use of shadow runs through art and culture like a ... shadow? Well, at least in the legacy of traditional Western art. References and use of "shadow" is also found in songs, poems and film and elaborately so in the "Film Noir" and "Gothic" genres. Some examples are "Kiss Me Deadly," "They Live By Night," "Rebecca" and "Rosemary's Baby."
I feel grateful to be in any light and shadow scenario and appreciate the rich tapestry of muted colors found in shadows and indeed in the darkness. Any light source no matter how faint will exert its magic on objects near and far creating a mysterious environment of overlapping shadowy forms. When the darkness is experienced in its fulness then i believe the light can be seen for what it is also.
Shadows are inspiring because they creep, slide, stretch and meander their way across every environment where there is a source of light, on manmade objects and the secret psycho-emotional recesses of the soul. Shadows are as inevitable as day and night and our response to them inwardly and externally is always a challenge.
Shadows are inspiring because they creep, slide, stretch and meander their way across every environment where there is a source of light, on manmade objects and the secret psycho-emotional recesses of the soul. Shadows are as inevitable as day and night and our response to them inwardly and externally is always a challenge.
