This has been one of the most challenging (pun intended) tasks I’ve ever taken on. One result of this is I don’t think I will enter any more challenges myself, on the very slim chance I might win another one. This is tough!
First let me warn you; this is a BOOK. I’m sorry but the very nature of this challenge (that some nut suggested) requires lots of observation, thinking, more observation, reconsidering, more observation, ruminating and more…well, contemplation. So, these are just some of the takeaways I got from the 8 fantastic, thought provoking, photo entries. And I’m sure they will not be the same as yours and they probably aren’t even close to what the artists were trying to get across (if even they were). Like many great movies, the writers and directors don’t always tie up the endings in little bows. They leave us guessing, thinking. The movie lives on in our minds long after the credits stop rolling.
Choosing a "winner" is probably impossible. At the risk of sounding like kindergarten teacher I would love to give every entry a gold star but I'm going to have to grit my teeth and make a choice.
PS. If the author's of each entry would like to provide their take, or intention, of their work then please do.
So, my takes, in order of submission;
#1 e-light: Child lying in the clover
The essence of contemplation. Is the boy contemplating the clover or is his mind somewhere else. His expression is calm, neutral, not showing any emotion. He is deep in thought but what is he thinking about? He looks very comfortable, a natural fit in this outdoor setting. e-light’s choice of vibrant colors helps tell us this, the boy’s choice of clothing in earth tones suggests that he is no stranger to the outdoors or nature, that is his world. The essence of contentment. On the other hand, is he melancholy, not actually noticing the clover in his hand, unconsciously toying with it as his mind wanders? Either version works for me, but for some reason I think he is inquisitive, imaginative, probably a reader.
#2 David 1701: Figure on rocky winter beach
A very long shot, enveloping a large open space. At first, it is not obvious what the figure in the middle ground is but then you see that it is a sitting person. To my (older generation eye) it is a woman, and she seems to be wearing a winter coat, perhaps with a fur collar. Her arms appear to be wrapped around herself. It is cold and not a very hospitable setting, yet she chose this spot to sit. To think. Maybe the uncomfortable, rocky, ground is what she seeks and is reminiscent of the disciplines of Zen.
The sea attracts us to sit, and watch, and to think. It’s easy to imagine she is troubled, considering her choice of the bleak, cold, stony beach, but there is also beauty in the bleak and cold, beauty even in death of winter. There is little to distract us, the sparse landscape allows our thoughts to wander or, alternatively, to focus. David’s choice of black and white emphasizes this simple beauty. Placing her in the center of the frame underscores that this photo is about her, she is the subject. As she sits on this barren, cold, yet beautiful shoreline, we are compelled to wonder about what she is thinking.
#3 Wee-Pics: Tao te Ching
I had to revisit the Tao to fully contemplate this photograph. Wu-wei, the concept of not acting, “not doing”, is central to the Tao. Once I remembered this, it opened up new understandings of the other photos in this challenge. Few of the subjects in any of the photos are engaged in any direct action, in the moment they are truly still. This is essential to mindfulness, which is helpful for contemplation.
Wee-Pics use of multiple exposures, with the written English translation of the Tao playing off the beautiful (I assume) original Chinese characters reminds us that Western and Eastern disciplines of thought are often divergent, the results of entirely different cultures. The minimalist, beautiful, silhouette of the plant, the use of black and white, emphasizes that simplicity is crucial for contemplation. The use of the multiple exposures suggests that there is more than just one way to achieve enlightenment, and often the easiest is the simplest. Not easy concepts for the task-driven and legal minded Western mind to embrace. And although the photo is promoting simplicity, it is a complex piece of art. I think that, with this photo, Wee-Pics has provided us with a visual digest of the Tao.
#4 EdipisReks: Young man in formal attire
This was a tough one for me, and thank goodness I employed my wife, Beverly, to help with this. At first, I just didn’t get it, I couldn’t figure out why EdipisReks included it in this challenge. It appeared to be just a simple snapshot, something that you might put in a family album. But with her help (I call her The Gleaner) the photo began to reveal itself to me. Obviously, the young man is dressed up, he has a place to go. The colorful bow tie and the red carnation say that this event is a joyful one. Considering his youth, this might be the prom, or a school dance, or maybe he is going out on his first date. His expression is enigmatic. It’s peaceful, not apprehensive. His thoughts are not right there with the photographer, they are somewhere else, something that makes him smile, just a little.
Because his smile is cryptic it is also familiar, at least to me. Only at the last minute did I realize why this was so, The Mona Lisa, perhaps the most famous model in Western history, also wears a cryptic smile. Over the centuries, millions of people have wondered what she was smiling about. What was it that brought such a light touch of amusement to her face? Like that painting, this photo encourages us to think and wonder: what is going on, what is the back story? Like most good art, it keeps us guessing.
#5 5354photos: Couple descending steps
This long vertical picture suggests two (or is it three) people descending deeper into thought. The very interesting use of slightly off center multiple exposures suggest not all is as it seems. Is it two or is it three figures? The man assumes the posture of someone who is thinking yet his face is up, not facing down towards the steps. This suggests that he has a good sense of where he is, he knows his footing on what might be a treacherous set of steep steps. They are comfortable with their surroundings; they have taken this contemplative walk many times.
The steps are interesting in that they are primitive, cut into the hillside, to make the steep path easier to navigate. And it is a path that is part of the Earth, surrounded by nature. Dense foliage suggest a forest but perhaps it is part of a garden. Gardens are often designed for the contemplative mind. Being one with nature is often the goal of the contemplative and nature can be a tool in bringing peace to a busy soul. The choice of black and white is used to invoke simplicity yet the multiple exposures tell us that complexity can also stimulate contemplation. Opposing concepts that make up the one. The ying and the yang.
#6 pljs: Young man in auditorium
So what s going on here? So many questions. Who is this young man, dressed in black formal attire? Who are the other three similarly dressed young men, across the auditorium? Because of the setting, their clothing, the primary subject’s posture -and their ethnicity - it was easy for me to come to a, perhaps prejudicial, story line: they are young, talented, hard-working, musicians. Tonight is a big recital, and as there are only four of them in the auditorium, they are part of a string quartet.
But why are they separated by that strange void between the balconies? The structure of the auditorium doesn’t help because, to me, it has an M.C. Escher quality to it. I can’t figure how it is laid out, logically. What are they watching so intently? There are workers in the lower part of the photo busy at something. Is the young man in the foreground studying the same thing the other three are? I can’t see how, the sight lines are confusing.
Or is the primary subject just contemplating the upcoming performance? Is he worried or just preparing, going over every note in his mind? Is he standing apart from the others because he is the prodigy, the star of the performance, the one who everyone is expecting so much? Pressure.
Or the scenario a completely different one? This photo of pljs sure has had me thinking.
#7 donlaw: Man against brick wall
This creative photo suggests a mind trip, and not necessarily a good one. It’s like an acid induced hallucination (or so I’ve heard). One of the first things I thought of when I saw this photo was a comedy club, an informal stage, the man a new stand-up comic, terrified of upcoming his first public performance. But the light patterns pulled me away from that idea.
The man stands with his back against the wall. His posture is one of anxiety, perhaps fear. His facial expression is almost like a grimace, his eyes hooded, fixated on something in front of him. The somewhat psychedelic white patterns of light are projected on the brick wall as they are on him. Is this what he fears, or is it someone or something that he fears who is doing this? There is a shadow on him that indicates someone is partially blocking the light. Or are the patterns an abstract manifestation, a representation of the whirlwind in his mind?
Where the other entries in this challenge are about peaceful thoughts, to me, this one clearly shows us other, less tranquil, contemplations. Good art is not often ‘happy’ art. One of my favorite paintings is one by my German great uncle, portraying his battalion marching towards the Russian front. Dark, dismal, foreboding, it is also beautiful and stimulates contemplations of the pain and suffering of others. It tries to put us in the minds of others, inducing empathy. I think Don does that with this photo.
#8 bartjeej: Dewy moss
A simple photo, almost a snapshot, according to the artist. bartjeej tells us he was on a stroll, his mind wandering “aimlessly”. But then the artist’s eye was drawn to something of simple beauty. Again, it is simple, but also complex. It’s not just the green moss that stands out among the grey winter setting but the beautiful drops of dew that cling to the tendrils and reflect a myriad of bright shining tiny orbs of light. Being contemplative also means being mindful and aware of our surroundings, particularly of nature. Although he says his thoughts were aimless, they were not distracted by worries about yesterday, today or tomorrow. Fully in the moment the photographer sees the beauty that many others would overlook as they hustle to work or home and seizes that moment and captures it for posterity. That’s what good photography is
cameraderie.org
