An Art Musing – As I Began this Posting, as I Contemplated this Cropped Photo, I Searched My Soul for a Title.

With a work of art, there is usually a focus, a subject, or perhaps more, a germinal or central thought or theme, helping to birth whatever the artist comes to create. Sometimes the subject is seemingly obvious, sometimes the thoughts provoked, or the feelings elicited, however they may arise within the individual mind and heart, are the object of the artist’s intent.  As I began this posting, as I contemplated this cropped photo, I searched my soul for a title.  For a title helps form and drive my thoughts and understanding forward, and many times provides a path upon which to tread.

This is also true for those who view an art piece as a title provides the initial trajectory, the first forward motion.  However, with this piece, my mind could not form a title, even though I knew where my heart was centered and headed and why.  For I took the full photo more than a year and a half ago from whence this segment was cropped, and then just recently came across it again as I specifically searched for photos that to me had aspects of art within them. 

And everything about this photo that has now produced within me a deeper understanding of it, was already there within the photo when I first took it.  However, in the interval between the taking and the recent quiet and open contemplation of it, I have grown and changed.  But to whatever extent I had deepened in my ability to understand, what I first just casually saw or absolutely missed within the photo, I now probably still only partially comprehend and appreciate.  For even with a growing awareness of the absolutely endless complexities of thought, emotion, and meaning of which the human soul is capable, as is inherent in beings created in the image and likeness of God, even the best artist, or writer, or filmmaker still essentially struggles to convey just a portion of this complexity. 

And so now the photo.  Most of the space is taken up by the face and body of the young man.  The young man is not looking at the woman.  Both rather are looking down at something more in front of the woman, perhaps in her hands.  Yet whatever is the object of their physical gaze, it is not the young man’s primary focus.  For the bulk of the flesh of his arm – strong and muscled, the veins, bones, and knuckles visible upon the hand – speaks of his main interest, the young woman whose body he has enveloped and holds – with gentleness, strength, and intent. And his face, while gazing at the object, seems more connected to what he holds, intertwining protection and possession, his expression, at peace and in union with what he holds, his vague half smile, more reflective of a daydream centered upon the woman within his arms, tinged perhaps with a first awakening to the intrusion of the camera.  His arms enveloping the young woman, his hand anchoring his desire upon her, his willingly tilted head and dream-filled gaze, and enigmatic smile, all a counterpoise to the animal power of the flesh of these same arms.

The woman artistically occupies a much smaller portion of the photo, of the canvas, but she is almost equally dominant because of her face and the life of her smile.  Additionally, she is magnified emotionally over the entire photo by the arms and face of the young man, of whom she is his entire desired world.  The woman, she smiles.  She does not resist his treasuring and protection.  Her smile is apparently one of acceptance and enjoyment, but perhaps also tinged with a slight embarrassment of the photo, a record made of a private moment where her gaze upon the object in front of her was not to gaze upon it, but just a moment of initial surrender to the power and felt love of this young man.

In addition to the two figures, there are two other connecting artistic details within the photo.  The first is the diagonal line of a contrasting colors that separates the face of the young man from the face of the young woman and the flesh of his arms.  This line begins at the top of his right shoulder with a spot of the blue of the environment and then follows a portion of his shirt, the dark hair of the woman and the stripes of the two light greens of his shirt down to the opposite lower half of the photo. And there the couple, because of the blue triangular shapes and the black and brown straight lines, perhaps a railing and furniture or window frames, are placed in the real world, giving legitimacy to the hint of shyness of the woman’s smile.

The other artistic detail is the gold chains around both their necks.  The chains, falling in a similar line downward, is subtle, but effective in tying them together – chaining them together with gold, a detail, one may wonder, if it is a hint of more binding together with gold in the future.  Such is the way an art piece may work.

Yet is this what the artist, the photographer really ultimately saw and felt?  Well, artistically I always felt the larger photo from where this photo was cropped was good, very evocative of what was between this young man and woman.  However, honestly, for me, the deeper meaning comes from whom this young man is.  This young man is a grandson, and the only grandson who when he was little, when we would greet each other, allowed and wanted me to hug him as long as I wanted and to kiss him as much as I wanted, for he needed much. 

Now, he is a grown man, and he is huge and muscled.  In addition, one thing I did not artistically mention about his face was the shaved stubble faintly visible upon it.  For it still amazes me – and honestly, always quietly pauses me – that my little grandson is no longer little, but now much bigger and much taller than me, powerfully muscled, with a black chinstrap of stubble when he does not shave, a man with a deep voice who when he phones me, ends the conversation with, “Love you, grandpa”, this something I know no one can buy, my grandson, with his words, making me a very wealthy man.

So, for me, there is a much deeper and profound reality to this photo, to this art piece, that no one would see, or understand, or share in from just viewing the photo.  And the only way to convey that private depth, if I wished, would be in the title.

So, the title could be, “A Daydream of His Love”, or “A Quiet Moment Interrupted” or “Beauty & Love Within His Arms”, or no title at all.  On the other hand, another title, in a much different direction, could be “A Grandson Once Small, & Always Wanting to be Hugged, Gently Holds the One He Treasures & Wants to Love & Possess”.  This would be an appropriate title because all of this is true, and because this title speaks of him and the young woman, a beautiful woman of depth and strength, combined with the multiple emotions, viewpoints, memories, and current hopes of multi-generations all embodied within this one-cropped photo. 

Much can be conveyed and added with a title that points to, or expresses, or even just hints at, deeper realities that shimmer or haunt just below the physical surface, that initially animate the click of a camera and the understanding of the images captured, or that beget the imperative of the words and thoughts a writer chooses and constructs to express to others what is seen, or understood, or something as simple and profound as the transfixing awe of beauty truly beheld.

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Thoughts & Musings on Art – Writing In The Shade Of Trees

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Moments of Seeing & Occasional Pieces – Writing In The Shade Of Trees

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