With August here and summer in its' final month I thought it would be fun to regularly post an image that celebrates the season. The first posting is a fantastic picture by Carleton Watkins. I think this is one of the best pictures of a tree that I've ever seen. The picture, made from some distance, is drawn candidly and without drama. The tree sits centered in the picture frame much like the sun on the flag of Japan. The tree is tall, regal, confident and nearly perfect in it's circular "treeness." If you had to pick a tree to represent all the trees of the world this one would do nicely. The picture has a quality that few pictures have. I am able to look at it and feel, for a fleeting, slippery and hallucinatory moment, that I am actually there.
Carleton Watkins, Arbutus Menziesii, California, 1861
More on Carleton Watkins HERE. More on Arbutus menziesii HERE
Posts
1 comment:
Nice to see this picture again. It is so seemingly simple yet so mesmerizing. Like your description. It is a picture that renews faith in so many things.
Post a Comment