…and for me, art, like writing, is a way of seeing, a developed and infinitely blessed way of life. For here in this photo, there are random yet innately structured fields of color, light yellow, dark brown, and grays punctuated by one small patch of electrical white. And the flesh tones of the boy, and his casually linked hands, capture together the endless depth and outward dimensions, seen and unseen, of just one human being, a teenager, here all centered around his eyes and partially seen mouth, those unique conveyors of the endless multiplicity and complexity of emotions and thoughts within the human mind and soul.
And the light of the late afternoon sun, on a partially cloudy day, illuminates with patches of subdued yet living light the grayness of the background wall, and touches upon the hallway opening into another portion of the house, here unseen and unknown. This gentle shining, the muted and subdued colors all around, and the warmth of the living flesh of the face, especially the eyes and mouth, all together infuse this simple tabloid of ordinary life with an even more pervasive sense of the peace of the quiet late winter afternoon. And within this sheltering space created by the unadorned walls of the room, the entire scene radiates around a teenage boy with beautiful and gentle eyes, thoughtfully beholding his grandfather with a camera ready in his hands.
This photo, this art, melds two worlds together – the space and view of the photo itself, and the sight and the thought of the one whose soul and camera captured this moment. There is factual beauty in this photo, yes, and for me there is also a deep satisfaction in having seen, captured, and understand this moment, for even though this photo records only a brief second of time, its existence now breathes additional life into the human experience we all share.
Other Art Musings with Photos of Boys/Teenagers
An Art Musing – A Young Boy Gazes at the Ocean – Writing In The Shade Of Trees
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Moments of Seeing & Occasional Pieces – Writing In The Shade Of Trees
Very well put. It summarizes exactly what I felt as I was looking at old photographs of my mom with family.
It captures a moment and brings back the feelings and emotions one felt at that time. Mirrored in the facial expression captured in that instant.
My favorite photos of my mom are the ones where she is holding a grandchild or a great grandchild and the expression the camera captured in her face. A moment in eternity. A moment of joy.