Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Suddenly Rene! A Magritte Moment. Human Condition. Cumulus Humilis.

On the way to the post office I photographed this Magritte-esque scene in the window of the Collector's Galleries on Bridge Street.
It's a painting of the sky filled with clouds and the actual sky and clouds reflecting in the window. You can distinguish the reflected clouds from the painted ones by identifying the clouds that don't disappear behind the reflection of the building. Those are the clouds in the painting. Any clouds that seem to appear on the face of the building are in the painting. It's all about juxtapositions and depth of field and mirrors in this crazy life. I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee, clouds in my coffee, and...

The reality and the rendition become integrated to the eye. This can lead to decisions that aren't always based on facts but on perceptions which are sometimes illusions (based on what we wish would happen oh please please please.) Believing illusions leads to delusions and when the reality finally sinks in, can cause one to feel disillusioned. Disillusioned: losing one's illusions. But disillusioned is generally understood to mean something negative; being driven to skepticism and doubt through disappointing experiences and unmet expectations. Seems to me that disillusioned, taken literally, means something closer to having lost one's illusions which suggests gaining clarity, not being bummed out.

The Magritte paintings are both called "The Human Condition" and I believe are similar to the photo in that they address the real vs. the represented. This is what I thought of when I tried to think of something to say about my photo aside from "whoah dude, dig this!" I frequently believe my illusions are real. It got me to where I am... or appear to be.

*Cumulus Humilis is the name of a specific cloud formation. It is three over and three down on the stamp sheet below. I love all these latin names for clouds! Who knew? I'll see how many I can spot in the months ahead and report back with evidence.

Doesn't Cumulus Humilus almost seem like it could be the latin for Human Condition? How odd.

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