… in color and in black and white…
Posts Tagged ‘Inspiration’
there are the windows through which I see the oak …
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged autumn, colors, Inspiration, landscape, nature, oak, Photography, seeing, trees, windows on October 10, 2013| Leave a Comment »
john la farge and his murals
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, Boston, colors, faith, Inspiration, John La Farge, murals, painting, Photography, religious art, Trinity Church, Trinity Church in Copley Square on October 9, 2013| 2 Comments »
As a child in Virginia I never imagined that I’d spend so much time as an adult in a place like Trinity Church watching sunlight stream through stained glass windows and play upon walls designed and painted by the likes of artist John La Farge. This is a photograph of one of those murals. I’m pleased at how it turned out as a postcard. Soon to be available in the church Book Shop. There is a wealth of information available in books and online about John La Farge. I found particularly interesting this article about the rivalry between La Farge and Louis Comfort Tiffany. Below are a few additional images of the murals. Just a tease really because no picture can compare to the real thing. 😉
Learn more about the artist John LaFarge, architect Henry Hobson Richardson and much more on the church website.
the world through my windows
Posted in Branches, Nature Notes, tagged animals, Inspiration, landscape, monotype, nature, oak tree, Paris Review, Photography, Taiye Selasi, trees, windows on October 8, 2013| 13 Comments »
Windows On The World is a series on The Paris Review website where writers share the world they see through their windows. Once I read the latest entry by Taiye Selasi about her view from her room in Italy, I could not help but get up and peer through the windows of the place where I live. I live in one of the densest cities in the U.S., and yet I am surrounded by just the right amount of tall trees, clambering vines, pigeons, sparrows, sea gulls, squirrels, raucous blue jays and occasional hawks to feel immersed in the wild. Of course when I step out my front door I feel a bit differently. I am most lucky because of the oak tree. Here is how it influences my view this morning.
holiday’s transfiguration — the artist, the story, and images
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, arts, churches, colors, Dante Rosetti, faith, Henry Holiday, Inspiration, interfaith dialogue, light, New Testament, Photography, Pre-Raphaelite, religion, stained glass, transfiguration, William Morris on October 7, 2013| 7 Comments »
I keep reading that Henry Holiday of London was noted for his execution of drapery, i.e. the fall of cloth, around his figurative subjects; that it was a style reminiscent of Dante Rosetti. I do love the intricate layering of cloth in these scenes from his stained glass window, The Transfiguration (1878), but it is the hands I particularly notice at present. As promised in an earlier post, here is a bit more about the artist and his creation.
Henry Holiday was born in London in 1839. His talent for drawing set him on an early artistic path where he would be influenced by Pre-Raphaelites like Burne-Jones, William Morris and Dante Rosetti. Over time, he would develop his own unique style. He traveled the world as many an artist of that period did. Trips to locales like Italy and Egypt influenced his illustration, painting, sculpture and his work with stained glass. Read more about his diverse interests and artistic expressions in this wikipedia article.
During his lifetime, Holiday did quite a bit of work for American churches, and that’s why I’ve been lucky enough to view and photograph his window, The Transfiguration, at Trinity Church in Copley Square, Boston.
The window depicts a moment described in the New Testament. The basic story is that Jesus and three of his apostles, Peter, James and John, traveled up a mountain to pray. There Jesus begins to shine like the sun, his clothes becoming white as snow. The prophets Moses and Elijah appear at his side and talk with him. Eventually “a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces with awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. …” (Matthew 17:1-92, Mark 9:1-9; Luke 9:28-36; 2 Peter 1:16-18).”
There are a lot of great resources online about the significance of this moment in Christianity and its various interpretations. If you’re in Boston’s Back Bay, view Holiday’s window firsthand, especially when the sun is shining bright. Postcards and prints available in the Trinity Book Shop with shipping available worldwide.
heart of the morning glory
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, flowers, Inspiration, morning glories, nature, Photography, purple on October 6, 2013| 4 Comments »
heart of the morning glory
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged colors, flowers, Inspiration, morning glories, nature, Photography, purple on October 6, 2013| 1 Comment »
bright spots in the boston public garden
Posted in Inspiration, Nature Notes, tagged Boston, Boston Public Garden, colors, flowers, garden, Inspiration, nature, Photography on September 30, 2013| 7 Comments »
the sargent hands
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, arts, Boston Public Library, colors, Copley Square, hands, illustration, Inspiration, john singer sargent, madonna of sorrows, murals, painting, Photography, religion on September 27, 2013| 5 Comments »
Based on yesterday’s post, I was asked by a few folks if I went up one more flight of stairs to view the hands of the Sargent murals. Oh, yes indeed I did. I did not begin with the Madonna of Sorrows with her silver crown. With my limited time, I focused first on the prophets.
At the end of my stay, as I focused more on the Madonna of Sorrows, I had to stand close to a young security guard. Finally I turned to her and asked, “Do you ever get bored?” She smiled and suddenly looked about twelve years old. She said, “No, ma’am. Every day I see something new.”
See all of the Sargent murals, in context, via this link. This is an excellent site as well: http://www.sargentmurals.bpl.org/
a series of hands
Posted in Inspiration, tagged anatomy, architecture, arts, Boston Public Library, colors, Copley Square, Edwin Abbey, hands, illustrations, Inspiration, literature, murals, paintings, Photography, storytelling on September 26, 2013| 3 Comments »
Hands, hands, hands. I was surprised in preparing this post to discover that I have written about hands quite a bit over the years. Two posts that moved me most were from four years ago, Hands I and Hands II. Hands stood out again during a recent visit to the Boston Public Library, visiting yet again the room with the Abbey Murals. I’ve photographed the murals often but this time I tried to focus on the hands.
For those new to the murals, in the 1890s Edwin Austin Abbey began a series of 15 wall paintings depicting The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail (based on a version of the legend by Henry James). They were installed in 1895.
On the BPL website, you can read a description of the 15 panels and the story they depict. Given how many shy maidens must have their hands kissed by Sir Galahad …
… and how many babes, swords and various vessels must be borne aloft and so on …
… well, it’s clear why Abbey paid so much attention to the hands of his legendary figures.
to shine with a bright light
Posted in Inspiration, tagged architecture, art, arts, beauty, churches, colors, faith, Henry Holiday of London, Inspiration, Jesus, Postcards, religion, stained glass, transfiguration, Trinity Church in Copley Square on September 25, 2013| 3 Comments »
That is this lay person’s interpretation of this image of The Transfiguration of Jesus, a stained glass window in Trinity Church in Copley Square. It is by Henry Holiday of London. I hope to share more about the whole window and its maker in the coming month, but meanwhile I can share that I’ve been lucky enough to photograph this center part of the window. It will be available as a postcard in the church’s Book Shop in early October. Have a good day, folks.
Words + Images 