Bamboo is considered by many New Orleans area gardeners to be an invasive pest. In Japan and in other parts of East Asia, however, bamboo has much more positive associations, and is one of the most commonly encountered subjects in the arts. Symbolizing spring, regeneration, and long life, this persistent perennial also serves as a… Read More
This unique photograph, made without using a camera, has a wonderful story behind its creation, much of which is written directly on the surface of the photograph. The word “photograph” encompasses a wide variety of processes, practices, materials, and objects. Today, it is used to describe images on paper, glass, or metal, as well as… Read More
The story behind the making of this photograph is a lesson in how photographers craft stories into pictures. Lewis Hine, who was well known for this ability once said, “If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn’t need to lug around a camera.” Some great photographs are the product of circumstance: the right… Read More
While their story-telling symbolism is as old as Christianity itself, “memento mori” paintings saw a particular popularity in seventeenth-century Europe. It was a time of tumultuous politics and religious instability even as wealth flooded in from overseas. The Baroque art that bloomed during this period reflects the contrast between these two realities, as tensely captured… Read More
In this photograph, Arthur Siegel captures the visual power of people united by a common cause. At different times in his career, Arthur Siegel worked as a photojournalist and documentarian, and as an artist who explored various methods of photographic abstraction. This image seems to combine these disparate approaches, documenting a demonstration even as it… Read More