In which I am distracted by shiny things. Now with 100% more photo overanalysis

I like shiny things.

Apparently so does my twitter pal Richard Jobson, who took these photos and gave me his kind permission to post them here.  They weren’t titled, so I improvised.  You know how I feel about titles.

Waterfall by Richard Jobson

Waterfall by Richard Jobson

waterfall

Waterfall 2 by Richard Jobson

These two waterfall pieces are sparking some ideas for new abstract paintings.

In the photo below, the visual field is divided by the mirror panes into fragments of reality, each one a world in itself though connected to the others. It’s almost a Cubist landscape.

Mirrors by Richard Jobson

Mirror Maze by Richard Jobson

Most of the spaces have people in them, others are empty except for the city lights and the deepening twilight.  They are dark faceless figures, but very human ones.

The people in the lower left space are closely connected, leaning toward one another.  The pair in the upper center space are companions side by side, but not touching.

Near the center of the photo are two people in different spaces who seem isolated from one another, yet nearly mirror images of each other.

In the center right, standing where two lines of dark stones meet, is the man who took this picture.  We can make out his head, but not quite see his face. He seems to see us, but is looking at his own reflection.

The patterns of the cobblestones throughout,  made irregular by the edges of the mirrored panes,  suggest a shifting maze.  The human figures navigate the complexities of this ever-changing maze, drifting together and apart.  It’s a visual metaphor for life.

Twilight Pavement by Richard Jobson

In this next shot, we have come down from our lofty vantage point and are now just above ground level.  Here we see the maze close up.

According to the laws of physics, the universe is serene at a distance but chaotic close up.  The world in these photos turns that concept upside down: it is chaotic at a distance, but up close, it is an orderly progression of straight lines and rectangular shapes.  The eye, and the single human figure in it, move along it smoothly.  It doesn’t seem possible to get lost.

Finding your way, or not finding it, depends on your perspective.

Right? Wrong?  Too long, didn’t read? What do you think?

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