Although I don't spend a lot of energy on regrets, I do sometimes reflect on the past to help propel me on the road ahead. To me it's like one big experiment, if I don't get it right the first time, then at least I know what NOT to do the next time it rolls around. This image is another from my Italy trip. It is one of the installation/sculptural works exhibited at the Venice Biennale at the Arsenale location. It was one of my favorite pieces (out of hundreds of international artworks). The water was so smooth and glassy, the reflections were mirror quality, and the dense fog made extreme contrasts that made me consider if there really was mirror down on the ground reflecting the architecture. The suspended shape was a simple square of plywood. But that reflection, on that day, would have made the artist weep for joy at the image that was created with that simple square. Just another lesson in perspective. Probably any other day it would have looked like a weird dangling piece of plywood... but for that moment it was perfection.
Stunningly beautiful photo.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're right: this is probably what the artist wanted you to see.
Part of the appeal is the lack of horizon or background since the fog was so thick. There is a lot of background stuff there in the Arsenale, it's not a wide open space. The fog was just amazing. Either it was dumb luck and crazy weather conditions, or it's like that often enough that the artist had noted similar conditions before and anticipated repeat conditions (that seems a stretch). Of course, maybe there was some other amazing view/scene created on a clear day... but the plywood piece alone was trivial. How it worked in the environment was spectacular.
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