Eyes that seek the Unseen
From “The Man with the Blue Guitar” by Wallace Stevens (1879-1955), a fragment from part XIV.
“…A candle is enough to light the world,
It makes it clear. Even at noon
It glistens in essential dark.
At night, it lights the fruit and wine,
The book and bread, things as they are.”
For those interested, the complete Wallace Stevens poem inspired, in the seventies, the series of etchings “The Blue Guitar” by David Hockney – well worth to be seen.
Just by chance I was surprised by a book of drawings by the poet Sylvia Plath, edited by her daughter Frieda Hughes . High quality drawings most of them in pen and ink on paper, also some pencil sketches, made in England, France, Spain and the U.S. Sylvia Plath had art tuition in her teens and she used to draw during her life – many of her poems were said to inspired by visual artworks. One of her drawings
Harbour Cornucopia, Wisconsin (from Sylvia Plath drawings, edited by Frieda Hughes, Faber & Faber, 2022, London, U.K.)
This drawing brought to my mind one of her poems
A Winter Ship
At this wharf there are no grand landings to speak of.
Red and orange barges list and blister
Shackled to the dock, outmoded, gaudy,
And apparently indestructible.
The sea pulses under a skin of oil…
The complete poem can be found here https://allpoetry.com/A-Winter-Ship
Enjoying a walk in the Botanic Tropical Garden, in Lisbon, I was surprised by this unnusual statue of a woman breast-feeding an adult male.
I looked for information about this sculpture. This baroque statue was made in Rome by Bernardino Ludovici in 1737, and brought to Lisbon by king Joao V. “Roman charity” is a classical greco-roman theme, and it is based on the story of a woman trying to save her own father, condemned to death by starvation, by secretly breast-feeding him.
As you can imagine, a variety of interpretations of this subject can be found, some of them very creative…
A traditional russian religious choir by the Sitibine Ensemble https://youtu.be/ypafWjyG01o
There is a Vladimir Martinov’s version (instrumental) by the Kronos Quartet, part of the soundtracl of Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grande Bellezza”
My submitted six photos were accepted for the exhibition currently taking place. The subject was “Freedom”. Here they are
Two groups of friends, with a peaceful river or a flying bicycle
A boy trying to run from his family – and to escape from the limits of the photo
An open space to breathe – or simply to contemplate
And the “Shtandart” a modern replica of an ancient Russian vessel. I was told that she is forbidden to return to St Petersburg, from where she left years ago. She is sailing around the world, teaching nautical and sailing crafts to young people. Forced freedom, to some extent, not being allowed to return home…
An unknown ritual, from a religion not yet invented. Or just a studio work with Medium Format film…
I was wandering about the concept of “sacred art”. As far as I know it concerns only christian inspired artworks. One can expand this concept to other cults and religions, as “The Sacred Art Collectors ” did. Oil on plywood, February 2024
While visiting a photo exhibition, in a dark area, there was this well lit long staircase with narrow but long steps. Some children seemed to be lurking at the top. A moment of mystery and surprise.
Saturday afternoon, I was walking along the busy São Paulo Street, in downtown Lisbon. Suddenly, I was surprised by the view of an almost empty side street, just two girls photographing each other, no one else in sight. I just had the time to take this photo – a few moments later cars and people were filling that narrow street.
A medium format analog photography – made in a studio, not in a sacristy.
João Avelar images 