Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye would have been 71 years old today. He created beautiful, joyous, and heart-wrenching music. Few artists can approach the talent of this man (IMO, Stevie is one of the very few). Above is my favorite clip, notice the completely entranced, even hypnotized, audience...

Textures - red

It has been a while, this is true. What is also true is that I love pictures with texture. It doesn't necessarily have to be pretty, but if a photograph conjures up a certain taste, touch or smell, not always necessarily a pleasant one, then I will most certainly be drawn to it. It not only looks like life, but it reminds me of life. It also reminds me that I'm not the only one who notices the fabric of a pair of red stockings, and how it shimmers down to a pair of equally red leather pumps. Red on red. Like in the photograph below. This outfit can easily be deemed quite ugly, but the picture calls attention to the liveliness of it in its drab surroundings. It makes me uncomfortable, just thinking about wearing those tights makes me itchy, but the pic also captures the various textures in play: the cheap carpeting, the leather armrest, the suit pants - and then the audaciousness of red on red on red - bright red at that. Mainly it reminded me of that feeling when you are in a crowd, say waiting to board a train or on line at the grocery, and you are looking down and notice something that leads you to think, "What?" But you like it, you like that someone can do that. And I like that this lady dressed up like this. And I like that the photographer noticed and took a picture, exactly from that angle of surreptitiously noticing something in derision and delight.

It is titled "Vienna, Austria, 2001" by Gueorgui Pinkhassov:
















And here's another, by the same photographer, red on red. Such a powerful color. I had a similar leotard as a child in dance class, and the contrast of the bright red with the stark white stockings, and the black dance shoes thrilled me. This is a beautiful photo of texture, light, and lines. It's titled, "Paris. Palais Garnier, 2001."

Snake charmers

I didn't pick these photos out for their sophisticated composition or artistic execution or something like that, but rather for their pure energy. I really like these two photos taken from a news article I read a few months ago. I found the images so compelling that I saved them on my computer and I'm finally posting them. The little girl is just plain looking at this flared snake slithering up just a feet away from her, as if she's having a casual conversation with it. It is both intense and informal. And every time I look at the second photo, I find that the kids sitting there on the floor are just as interesting to look at as the cobra snake, if not more so. Their expressions, their clothing, their demeanor, the snake...there is a lot to look at in each pic. Two really rich photos. I'd hate to ruin them with too blabbing, but here's a link to the article if you're interested in reading the background story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1192122/Indian-village-children-young-taught-snake-charmers.html

Please click on photos to see the much better enlarged versions.

Photos: Barcroft Media

Seamless

A fashion magazine shot from the '50's that seems like an outtake from an Antonioni or Hitchcock film. Beautiful.

Photo by Lillian Bassman for Junior Bazaar, 1950

Moonwalkers

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth." -John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961

This 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission leads one to marvel at the great feats of man, and how we are capable of so much. JFK clearly stated the goal years beforehand, and somehow, a group of individuals collaborated their genius and made it happen. Humans walking on a celestial body over 200,000 miles away for the first time ever - and they made it home safely. Is Mars next?


Pictured from left to right: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin. Click on pic to enlarge.

Kate, 2008

A modern day chiaroscuro in Austin, Texas. Lovely. Photo by Lisa Sarfati, Magnum.

Rest in Peace Michael