Calm pictures in a world of acceleration
Die Ruhe des Bildes im Zeitalter der Beschleunigung
Dina is learning photography from her brilliant teacher Chris Taylor. Their last session was focusing on Low Key Photography with natural light only in our kitchen. We enjoyed the privilege to watch. Quietly our mind was wandering to reflect about the calm picture in speedy times. First we noticed how photography and still life are complementary: photography locks life into a fixed picture whereas in this still life the fixed becomes animated by photography. It releases the magic being in all things. The viewer gets gently touched like from fairy dust by a mood, he is getting curious. The still life shows its decent to its peak at a time when wonderful Cabinets of Curiosity were en vogue.
Chris Taylor, Dinas berühmter Fotolehrer, war hier. Mit Low Key Photographie spielten beide in unserer Küche, wobei wir zuschauen durften. Das ließ uns über die Ruhe des Bildes in rasanten Zeiten nachzudenken. Zuerst verblüffte uns die Entdeckung der Komplementarität von Fotografie und Stillleben: Wie die Fotografie Leben ins starre Bild bannt, so erweckt das Stillleben die Dinge zum Leben. Es entbindet den Zauber, der allen Dingen innewohnt. Der Betrachter lässt sich von einer Stimmung gleich einem Feenhauch sanft berühren, er wundert sich. Das Stillleben kann seine Abstammung kaum verhehlen, zur Zeit geheimnisvoller Wunderkammern beherrschte es die Barockkunst.
A still life celebrates the tranquility in the order of things. To portrait mundane thing was frowned upon during the Middle Ages. The pendulum swung to the other side in Baroque, the high time of the still lifes. Today the calm still life revolts gracefully against the speedy pictures of the media. Still lifes seduce us to idleness.
But we were shocked how chaotic books were treated in classic still lifes. Their pages are cracked and are full of dog-ears. That makes every book lover cry. Now we see a still life also as an aestheticization of chaos.
Ein Stillleben zelebriert die Ruhe in der Ordnung der Dinge. Verpönte das Mittelalter die Darstellung irdischer Dinge, so schlug das Pendel im Barock mit der Blüte der Stilllebenmalerei zur anderen Seite aus. Heute stellt das ruhige Bild in anmutiger Revolte sich den auf uns einstürzenden Medienbildern entgegen. Stillleben verführen zum süßen Müßiggang.
Unangenehm fiel uns auf, dass Bücher-Stillleben wohl nur von unordetlichen Menschen arrangiert wurden. Wie die Bücher mit Eselsohren und geknickten Seiten da oft wie hingeschmissen herumliegen, lässt jeden Buchfreund trauern. Wir sehen Stillleben auch als eine Ästhetisierung der Unordnung der Dinge.
Everything you see in Dina’s picture is us. The oldest two of our books, we are very proud of, the feathers from Dina’s friends, the pheasants in our garden, the vase we found near our house in a field and the old cutlery connate the romantic country life. It can be read ironically, but it’s us, so we want to be seen.
Dina’s still life would have been seen as a Vanitas-picture bearing a hidden meaning in the 17th c. The dark background symbolises death as the dead objects. The mundane books stand for the sin of idleness and giving up one’s cutlery may add to the Vanitas theme. Say farewell to your intellectual idleness – memento mori, would have been written under this picture.
“Appropriate!” says Selma un-appropriately.
Die dargestellten Gegenstände charakterisieren uns. Die ältesten Bücher aus unserer Bibliothek, auf die wir mächtig stolz sind, die Federn von Dinas Freunden, den Fasanen in unserem Garten, eine Vase, die wir auf einem einsamen Feld beim Spaziergang fanden, und das Besteck mit Horngriff konnotieren das romantische Landleben. Das kann ironisch gelesen werden, auf jeden Fall symbolisiert es uns, so wollen wir gesehen werden.
Im 17. Jh. hätte man Dinas Bild als Vanitas-Darstellung gesehen, über deren Sinn man rätselte. Dunkler Hintergrund galt als Hinweis auf den Tod, wie ebenfalls die toten Gegenstände. Die irdischen Bücher bezeichneten vergänglichen Tand und man hätte vielleicht auch die abgegebenen Löffel dieser Deutung untergeordnet. Des Todes eingedenk lass fahren dahin deinen geistigen Hochmut, hätte womöglich unter diesem Bild gestanden.
“Passend!“, meinte Selma unpassed.
Still lifes are artificially made. You wouldn’t believe how many positions of the books were necessary to see that this can be nicely mirrored by the position of the cutlery without any shadows. The still life shows the meaning behind the surface of things with the help of the artistic order of things. It also documents the order that the intellect imposes on the chaos of things. Constructing a still life gives confidence playing god for this cosmos.
Our mind was drawn to the idea that in a photographed still life you document double art – the art of manipulating the objects and the art of manipulating the camera and the picture in the post-production. Art as art can be …
Stillleben geben sich als Gemachtes, als künstlich Angeordnetes. Kaum glaubt Ihr es, wie viele Anordnungen z.B. der Lage der Bücher notwendig waren, um zu sehen, dass diese von der Lage der Löffel anmutig ohne Schatten gespiegelt werden kann. Es geht beim Stillleben darum, durch die harmonische Ordnung der Dinge deren verborgenen Sinn hinter dem zelebrierten Schein zu zeigen. Gleichzeitig dokumentiert es die Ordnung, die der Intellekt ins Chaos der Dinge bringt. Hat es nicht etwas Selbstbewusstes, so ein Stillleben aufzubauen, der Gesetzgeber für diesen Kosmos zu sein?
Als wir weiter nachdachten, fiel uns auf, dass beim fotografierten Stillleben, zwei Kunstprozesse beteiligt sind: die Manipulation des Objektes und die des Objektivs. Also Kunst as Kunst can be …
Are you perplexed about this post about Dina’s still lifes after our posts about Murakami’s busy lifes?
Verblüfft Euch dieser Beitrag nach Murakamis Kunst? Uns auch 😉
Herzliche Grüße
The Fab Four of Cley
Chris Taylor from Sheringham kindly provided the cutlery 🙂
.
© Text and illustrations, Hanne Siebers and Klausbernd Vollmar, Cley next the Sea, 2017
Follow Dina- Hanne Siebers on Instagram!
That is a lovely still life.
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Dear Timothy
Great that you like Dina’s still life 🙂
Have a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Thank you so much, Timothy! 😊🙏
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Chapeau, Dina! An wonderful still life. Chapeau, Klausbernd for you narrative! The four of you never cease to amaze us. I’d love to sit next to the Siri and Selma and watch you and Chris composing and creating in the kitchen. 🙂 You are taking photography on a new level arranging yourself metaphorical in a traditional still life.
Looking forward to meeting you in London soon!
Hugs, Sarah x
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Good afternoon, dear Sarah
we like arranging such still lifes. We were inspired by the tradition of emblemata and still lifes in the 17th c. and went through a lot of our art books to understand the iconographic language of this kind of art before we started.
Thanks a lot, see you London
The Fab Four of Cley
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Hi, dear Sarah,
it was such a lot of fun watching to construct such an still life 🙂 🙂 And we provided some ideas as well!
With lots of finest fairy dust
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma, the happy Bookfayries
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Thanks from me as well, Sarah. 😊🙏
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Dear friends,
I feel deeply moved by your co-work. This exquisite still life and narrative brings me back to Reykjavík from where I have just returned. On a previous visit I attended the Reykjavík International Film Festival. If I may, I’d like to recommend “Still Life” by Uberto Pasolini (not to be mistaken as P.P. Pasolino).
Have fun learning more about photography, Dina! You are improving all the way, I think you did very well to pick Chris Taylor as your mentor. 🙂
Klem, ha en god helg,
Per Magnus
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What a coincidence, Per Magnus (I suppose Jung would call it synchronicity).
On my small pile of books to read, I now look forward to open David Grieco’s work about the very unpopular Pier Paolo Pasolini and why he was murdered.
Greetings to you all in Weimar,
Annalena
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Sounds interesting Annalena, I’ll have to look it up now. Take for tipset!
God helg til deg i Stockholm fra Bonn,
Hanne
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Dear Annalena,
thanks for telling us 🙂 🙂
Wow, we learn so much … So we become even more clever 😉
We send you finest fairy dust
Kram
Siri 🙂 xxx and 🙂 Selma xxx
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Our dear friend,
we just made a note to look at Uberto Pasolinis “Still Life”. Thanks for telling us 🙂 🙂
With lots of finest fairy dust
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Dear Per Magnus
thanks a lot for the hint. We haven’t heard of this film before – but now we know!
And thanks as well for liking Dina’s still life 🙂
With lots of love
The Fab Four of Cley
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Welch eine Überraschung! Ein Stillleben aus Norfolk, wer hätte das gedacht. 🙂
Euer Spiel mit Licht und Schatten geben die Objekte perfekt wieder. Spitze!
LG, U+H
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Danke! Das freut uns, dass dir diese Arbeit gefällt 🙂 🙂 Uns auch 😉
Liebsten Feenstaub von
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma
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Liebe Uschi, lieber Herbert,
nach Murakamis unstillen Leben kam es richtig gut, ein Stillleben zu versuchen. Eigentlich liegt Masterchen und Dina ja das Stille mehr, was man, glauben wir, auch sieht. Im Grunde ist das ein Meditationsbild, ein Bild zum Ruhen und Entdecken – allerdings könnte man Murakamis Bilder auch so sehen.
Mit ganz lieben Grüßen vom sonnigen Meer an den Main
The Fab Four of Cley
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Amazing! These photos look like a painting!
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Dear Ivana,
Dina and we got inspired by Flemish paintings of the 17th c. We went through a lot of art books before arranging everything.
Thanks!
Finest Fairy dust from
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Dear Ivana,
that was meant to be. Isn’t it like a time travel back into the 17th c?
Thanks and have a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Yes, it is! Have a nice weekend too! Schönes Wochenende!
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Guten Morgen, ihr lieben vier,
ich bin begeistert von Hannes Stilllebenaufnahmen, Gratulation, liebe Hanne. Bücher, Vase, Federn und Messer vermitteln mir ein ausgewogenes aber auch aufregendes Schauspiel, ich frage mich, ob das Messer fallen wird, wenn jemand am Arrangement vorbeigeht. Die Löffel vermitteln mir ein Unbehagen, ich hätte sie so nicht gelegt. Ich mag das Gekreuzte nicht, sollen sie mir sagen, dass wir zu den Waffen gehen? Genial wäre, wenn sich Vase, Messer und Bücher in den Löffeln sichtbar spiegeln würden. Solche Spiegelungen machten in den Niederlanden unter anderem auch den Wert eines Sillleben aus. Das Legen des Stilllebens ist für mcih der erste Akt des Werks, ich mag es ebenso, Gegenstände zu arrangieren. Was haltet ihr von einer Zitrone im Vordergrund? Das Gelb würde vor dem Braun erstrahlen 🙂
Hanne, tauschen wir? Ich bekomme einen Abzug von deinem ersten Stillleben (signiert) und du kannst dir von mir eine Stilllebenzeichnung aussuchen? Was meinst du?
Liebe Grüße von Susanne
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Ganz herzlichen Dank für deinen lieben Kommentar, Susanne. You have made my day, wie man im Englischen sagt. 😊🙏
Zu der Zitrone, ich musste schmunzeln. 🙂 Klar doch, hatte ich strahlende Zitronen wie auch Limetten und Kiwi und von Klausbernd emsig geputzte übergroße Silberlöffel und viel mehr parat für unsere Arbeit. Chris war aber der Meinung, exotische Früchte hätte mit Norfolk weniger zu tun … Also haben wir uns primär mit dem Thema beschäftigt und weniger mit optischen Stilmittel.
Ja, ch würde gerne mit dir tauschen, Susanne! Das wäre mir eine riesengroße Ehre! 🙂 ❤
Ich schlage eine Übergabe hier in Cley vor. Du und Micha seid herzlich eingeladen. Was hältst du von Geburtstag feiern in Cley?? Wie letztes Jahr? Schnell, lauf los und kauf Tickets, wir erwarten euch Anfang April. Dann können wir gemeinsam im der Küche und Wintergarten arbeiten, übrigens wird es immer wärmer in Norfolk. Wie auch jetzt in Bonn, wo ich gerade verweile. Darum werde ich den Botanischen Garten in Poppelsdorf einen Besuch abstatten, mit Kamera. 🙂
Liebe Grüße aus dem Rheinland,
Hanne
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Guten Morgen, liebe Hanne,
das hört sich alles sehr gut an 🙂 und wir würden sehr gerne nach Cley kommen, jedoch habe ich dieses Jahr an meinem Geburtstag (es ist ja ein Samstag) meine Familie zum Brunch zu Besuch. Das hört sich nach einem lauschigen Frühstück an, aber Micha und ich bringen es (ohne uns selber zu rechnen) auf 19 Familiengäste. Unglaublich, oder? Mit den Kindern und ihre Partner, Nichten und Neffen haben wir ein Altersspektrum von 23 bis fast 80 Jahren. Wir sind gespannt, wie sich das Familienfest gestaltet.
In unserem Kalender tut sich vielleicht Ende April oder Anfang Mai eine Lücke auf, das entscheidet sich aber erst im laufe der nächsten Woche. Könnten wir auch etwas später kommen? 🙂 🙂
Chris hat wahrscheinlich recht mit den Zitronen. Unter diesen Gesichtspunkten habe ich mir noch nie Gedanken gemacht. Eine neue interessante Gesichtsweise. Ich habe bisher immer ausschliesslich unter ästhetischen Gesichtspunkten meine Stillleben arrangiert.
Wir werden jetzt gleich zu Papa und danach Wein und Saft für den Salon am Dienstag einkaufen fahren. Vorher werden wir bei La Femme, einer türkischen Konditorei, Frühstückstörtchen einkaufen gehen. Lecker! Natürlich supersüß 🙂
Einen schönen Samstag senden euch Susanne und Micha
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Das hört sich toll an, Susanne. Die Altersspanne ist an sich spannend. Ich fahre jetzt ins Vorgebirge, das Spargelland hier bei uns, um ein 6 Monate altes süßes Mädchen mit Familie zu fotografieren. Morgen geht’s nach Remscheid zu einer Freundin die demnächst 84 wird, still going strong. Außerdem bemühe ich mich gerade den Ausflug morgen mit einem Abstecher nach Köln ins Museum Ludwig zu verbinden. Dort gibt es eine Ausstellung zu Gerhard Richters neue Arbeiten, auch still going strong mit über 80 …Der Andrang ist enorm, erschreckend stark,schauen wir mal.
Zu uns und einen späteren Besuch in Cley; gegen Ende nächste Woche bin ich wieder in Cley, dann können wir einen Ersatztermin suchen. Ende April/Anfang Mai könnte klappen, die zweite Woche Mai ist belegt und es gibt Anfragen. Ab Mitte Mai sind wir selbst weg um Klausbernd, leicht verspätet, vier Wochen lang jeden Tag auf Schottlands entlegensten Plätzen zum Geburtstag 🌹 zu feiern. Schau mal, was ihr frei machen könnt, vielleicht sehe wir uns bald, das wäre richtig toll!! 🙂
Sonnige Grüße nach Berlin! 🌹 🌹 🌹
Hanne
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Oh, liebe Susanne, da sind wir Buchfeen aber sprachlos über alle deine lieben Anregungen. Toll! Das wird Dina sicher bei weiteren Stillleben berücksichtigen.
Da du doch so eine Kluge bist, sag mal bitte, kommt da Wort “Stillleben” eigentlich von “still” im Sinne von ruhig oder von “Stil”? Der Rechtschreibung entsprechend wohl von “still” – zumindest nach Duden.
Ganz lieben Feenhauch für dich
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma
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Liebe Siri, liebe Selma,
der Begriff Stillleben taucht erst ab der Mitte des 17. Jahrhunderts auf. Das Stillleben selber hat sich aber schon davor als formal und inhaltliche Sonderform der Malerei ausgebildet und hatte mit der Begriffsbildung schon die ersten Höhepunkte seiner Entfaltung überschritten. Der Begriff ist dem holländischen entlehnt: stilleven und meinte ursprünglich nur regloses Modell oder unbewegte Natur. In Deutschland sprach der Künstler und Kunstschriftsteller Joachim von Sandrart 1675 von “stillstehenden Sachen”.
Ein interessantes Thema 🙂
Ich sende euch Berliner Luft,
Susanne
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Guten Tag, liebe Susanne,
habe ganz herzlichen Dank für deine hilfreichen Anregungen! 🙂
Das Besteck über Kreuz zu legen, ist für uns ein Symbol für Verbindung, das jedoch zugleich die gekreuzten Knochen in den Memento-Mori-Emblemata anklingen lässt. Es ist eine Parallelität entsprechend der Mittelachsen der Bücher, die sich ja auch überkreuzen und konnotiert das barocke Denken in Entsprechungen. Zugleich wird die symbolische Bedeutung betont, das Gemachte, denn man legt ja im Alltag das Besteck parallel. Nicht zuletzt verweist diese Symbolik von Überkreuz eben auf Kreuz und Tod.
Wir finden es interessant an solch einem Stillleben, dass alles symbolisch und nichts eigentlich natürlich ist und es dennoch quasi natürlich wirkt.
Das Stillleben ist eine Gegenwelt in unserem Zeitalter der Beschleunigung, in dem die schnellen Bilder dominieren. Genauso bot im 17. Jh. mit seiner Ruhe und Harmonie das Stillleben eine Gegenwelt zum Dreißigjährigen Krieg mit all seinen Verwüstungen und der Pest. Man zieht sich in die Welt der Symbolik vor der Realität zurück und im Grunde drückt Dinas Stillleben die gleiche Haltung aus.
Du hast Recht mit der Spiegelung. Der Spiegel war ein Zentralsymbol der barocken Emblematik, was ja u.a. das oben angesprochene analoge Weltbild des Barock anspricht – die Entsprechung von Realität und Bild und das alles sich in allem spiegelt (übrigens modern ausgedrückt, geht’s hier um parallele Universen). Zugleich zeigt die Spiegelung Schein und Eitelkeit an, gemäß dem Gedicht von Gryphius ist alles eitel.
Ja, da müssen wir wohl Siri und Selma anstellen, die Löffel zu polieren.
Unsere Einladung zu deinem Geburtstag habt ihr bekommen. Wäre es nicht spannend, gemeinsam Stillleben zu fabrizieren?
Schönes Wochenende und ganz liebe Grüße
The Fab Four of Cley
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Lieber Klausbernd,
danke für die ausführlichen Ausführungen zum Stillleben. Ich mag gerade die Symbolik an den Stillleben. So stimmt nicht ganz, was ich bei Dina schrieb, dass ich nur auf die Ästhetik achte. Natürlich sind die Gegenstände, dich ich anordne symbolhaltig 🙂
Ja, wir haben die Einladung erhalten — ganz doll herzlichen Dank, wir haben uns sehr gefreut. Ich schrieb dazu schon etwas weiter oben/unten in den Kommentaren.
Viele liebe Grüße von Micha und Susanne
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Guten Tag, liebe Susanne,
kennst du die barocken Emblemata? Sie kann man als Schlüssel für das allgemeine Symbolverständnis im Barock ansehen. Einige dieser Emblemata findet man noch auf alten Grabsteinen.
Natürlich gab’s im Barock ein normatives Symbolverständnis im Gegensatz zu unserem heutigen eher freien Verständnis der Symbole, in dessen Unterströmung jedoch diese barocke Symbolik weiterlebt.
Ich bemerke bei mir etwas Eigenartiges: In der Literatur und der Stilllebenmalerei bin ich begeistert vom Barock, aber in der Architektur finde ich den barocken Stil höchst fürchterlich.
Schönes Wochenende
Klausbernd 🙂
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Guten Morgen, Klausbernd, du hast schon oft von der barocken Emblemata gesprochen und sie interessiert mich sehr. Ich habe auch schon einmal geschaut, ob sie heute in neuer Auflage zu kaufen ist und dieses Buch hier gefunden: https://www.amazon.de/Emblemata-Handbuch-Sinnbildkunst-Jahrhunderts-Taschenausgabe/dp/3476015025 kennst du es? Ich bin von der barocken Architektur auch nicht unbedingt begeistert.
Heute ist das Wetter in Berlin hervorragend und ich werde mit Birgit Böllinger von Sätze und Schätze durch den Norden Berlins streifen und dann unseren Salon für Dienstag vorbereiten. Es haben sich viele Gäste angesagt und wir haben viel zu tun.
Liebe Grüße von Susanne
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Guten Morgen, liebe Susanne,
danke, das Buch kenne ich und finde es das Beste, das zu Emblemata gibt (leider kann ich es in unserer Bibliothek nicht mehr finden 😦 ). Ich habe vor ewigen Zeiten bei Albrecht Schöne, dem Mitherausgeber, gehört und konnte damals das ziemlich teure Buch für einen gr. Studentenrabatt erwerben. Mit der Symbolik in der Lyrik des Barock habe ich damals mein Germanistikstudium begonnen.
Wir finden das ganz toll, dass du die Tradition des Salons weiter fortführst. Wenn wir in Berlin wohnen würden, wären wir sicher dabei. So wünschen wir dir auf alle Fälle viel Erfolg für Dienstag und grüße auch Birgit lieb von uns, die ja bisweilen hier auch kommentiert.
Nach über zwei Wochen sommerlichen Wetters ist es hier heute plötzlich so kalt, dass ich die Heizung wieder anstellte. So ein richtiges Drinnsitzwetter. Siri und Selma haben ein Kerzchen angezündet und so ist es urgemütlich.
Mit lieben Grüße vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
Klausberns, Siri und Selma
Dina ist noch bis Mittwoch in Bonn.
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I am a big fan of still photography. It’s amazing how many things can be hidden in a picture like yours. Thanks.
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Thank you
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma, the clever Bookfayries
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The original idea of still life in the 17th c. was that it is a riddle with a hidden meaning. And as more was hidden as better. But in the end it always came to memento mori, carpe diem or all is vain.
Thanks a lot for commenting.
Have an easy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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What a wonderful evocation of a Dutch 17th century still life! It must have been a real challenge to achieve these shots.
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… but it was fun as well.
Thank you!
Fairy dust from
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Dear Margaret
thanks for liking Dinas still life 🙂
It took us a whole day to find the right combination and wait for the perfect light. And before we studied these Dutch and Flemish pictures of the 17th c. for quite a while.
We wish you a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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This is simply fabulous, you Fab Four. A master class in still life in words and photographs, and the image itself so very impressive – of itself, and with the added dimensions of hidden visual meanings. Bravo!
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🙂 🙂
THANK YOU
Lots of fairy dust
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma, the clever Bookfayries
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Thank you from me as well, Tish! 😊🙏
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Good afternoon, dear Tish,
well, we studied the Baroque ideas of symbolism and emblemata before and tried to copy the mind-set of that time. The Baroque still life was a kind of opposite world to real world of this time which was chaotic with the thirty-years-war and the plague. So Dinas still life is an opposite world of quiet and meditation in times of fast running pictures in the age of acceleration. It’s a world of symbolism and of hidden meanings.
Thanks for your comment 🙂
Have a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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This is so beautiful, fascinated me. Thank you, Love, nia
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🙂 🙂
Fairy dust and love
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Dear Nia
you are very welcome! 🙂
All the best, happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Simply beatiful! From the moden art discussion I had in your previous blog post I can compare it with this – this speaks to me a lot more! Your photography is such an inspiration to me. You made this look almost painting-like. With the backstory added it gives it even more impact on me. Tranquiltiy, mystery, wisdom… Wonderful . Thank you! 🙂
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Tusen takk for den fine kommentaren, Marie! 🙂
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Dear Marie
thank you very much.
If you compare Murakami’s pictures and Dinas still life they are opposite and similar as well. Both are highly symbolic but in Murakami’s the symbolism reflects the reality direct whereas in Dina’s still life the symbolism produces an opposite world to our reality. That makes Murakami’s art so dynamic and Dina’s art that tranquil – opposite reactions to our post-modern world.
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Beautiful still, I especially like the first non- mirrored shot, lovely details and textures. The old books are lush.
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We love our old books, their aura …
The oldest is a history of the Saracenes, actually quite funny seen from our standpoint today.
Thank you!
Fairy dust
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Thank you! 🙂
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Beautiful post!
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Thank you so much! 😊🙏
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THANK YOU 🙂
We are happy that you like Dina’s post 🙂
Enjoy the weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Dina, that is an impressive photograph – I love the story behind your still life and its composition. Fascinating post and I will appreciate still life pictures / photos much more in future!
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Thank you for this lovely comment, Annika 😊🙏
Ha en god helg!
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Dear Annika,
now we have studied Baroque still lifes and emblemata for such a while that it would be a pitty not go on producing more still lifes and playing around with symbolism and hidden meanigs.
Thanks for liking this post 🙂
Lots of love, happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Beautifully done.
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Thank you very much, dear Derrick. It was great fun! Wishing you a great weekend from Bonn, Dina
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Thank you, dear Derrick 🙂
Happy weekend wishing you
The Fab Four of Cley
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I love your still life and very wise thoughts. Great harmony and inspiring thoughts, Fab Four. 2 friends and myself are planning our summer holidays outside our stuga at the moment. I’d like to rent your annexe in July for a week or 10 days if it’s vacant. Call you later this week, I have to prepare a lecture now.
Kram, Annalena x
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GREAT, our dear friend
we are looking forward for your staying with us 🙂 🙂
With love, hugs and fairy dust from
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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My dear Swedish friend Annalena
it would be great having you around 🙂 We just started to advertise our cosy holiday let and hope that many people will come and like it.
Good luck with your lecture!
Can you remember that we went to a course about Baroque emblemata in the beginning of our studies? And later we were thrilled by a lecture by Albrecht Schöne who published this grand book “Emblemata”. This all came back to me when we were working on this still life. But it is much more fun constructing such a still life than reading about it.
With lots of love from sunny Cley
Klausbernd 🙂 xxx
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This is a very beautiful still life Hanne. I am so glad you are getting so much from your sessions with Chris. It’s a beautifully put together still life and the low key approach is clearly the right one. Brilliant stuff. Have a fabulous weekend the Fab Four of Cley!! 🙂 x
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Thanks a lot, Adrian. It’s very kind of you to say so. I don’t get around to practicing as much as I’d like, but when I do, it’s great fun.
Lots of love to you and Chris; I’m in Bonn right now … very much looking forward to exploring more of Norfolk’s nature together with you later this year. 🙂
Hugs!
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Dear Adrian,
thank you very much. It’s really fun to construct such a symbolic riddle like 400 years ago. In the tradition of the emblemata of the 17th c. picture and text had to go together and that makes it so interesting for us. I am sure we will go on experimenting with this form of art.
Happy weekend
All the best
Klausbernd 🙂
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Execellent still life with beautiful details. The background info is equally well written with food for thoughts. The perfect match for my seond morning tea. 🙂
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Have a happy tea
Thank you
Fairy dust from
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Thanks, dear Paul! 🙂
Wishing you a great weekend
The Fab Fourof Cley
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Not perplexed; simply in awe of this beautiful still life.
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How kind of you to say so, Mandy! 🙂
Hope life is treating you kindly.
Warm greetings from the Rhine valley,
Dina -Hanne
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Quite well, thank you, Hanne. I enjoyed the post on the Murakami exhibition. It was colourful/exuberant and the male and female manga sculptures made me smile. But I prefer your Still Life. 🙂
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Good afternoon, dear Mandy
THANK YOU very much 🙂 We love this kind of photography very much, well, it’s art and has nothing to do with the illusion of documenting reality and nature.
An easy weekend wishing you
The Fab Four of Cley
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Definitely art!
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Lovely shot. The lighting is excellent, as is the composition, though I would perhaps have liked a bit more depth of field… 🙂
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Thank you, dear Dick. Your comment is highly appreciated. 🙂 Argh, now why didn’t I think about the obvious, I wonder ((shaking my head)) a professionell photographer just around the corner! You are now hired for a lesson in April. Including supper with Guni afterwards. What do you think? Please. 🙂
Warm greetings from Bonn,
Hanne
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Thanks, dear Dick,
see you soon.
Hanne will be back middle of next week. We will come around then.
Warm greetings to you and Guni from Church Lane
Klausbernd 🙂
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My friends;
The symbolism depicted in Dina’s still life in this co-operative effort reached still higher heights than you can imagine. I can see by the comments here how differently – yet unified is the way we are all seeing this. At the most basic, it is beautiful, but then as you ponder it, the image takes on a deeper concept. A most brilliant collaboration!
May my Fab Four of Cley enjoy each moment of this world!
GP Cox
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WOW, our dear friend
THANK YOU, so nice of you to write this. We are speechless.
Love and fairy dust from
Siri 🙂 xx and 🙂 Selma xx
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Thank you so much, GP Cox! 😊🙏 You made my day! 🙂
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I so hope i brought a smile equal the ones you and your family always give me!
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Thank you VERY MUCH, our dear friend 🙂
these still life stand in the tradition of the Baroque emblemata and were constructed as symbolic riddles. Text and picture were always belonging together – this is what I specially like of them. It’s fun to construct them.
I wish you a wonderful weekend
Klausbernd 🙂
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Thank you very much for your response, your family is always so kind to me!!
All the best!!
GP Cox
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It’s because you are such a kind person!
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Beautiful photos. In an age where our senses are bombarded by sensationalist media images, it was nice to take a breath and be able to create your own story around these photos. Thank you.
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Dear Davy
exactly! Originally still lifes were the symbolic opposite world to reality when they were in during the time of the thirty-years-war and the plague. And now they oppose the fast pictures of the media. Still lifes were always the other world.
Thanks and a happy weekend
Klausbernd 🙂
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You too Klausbernd.
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You never fail to amaze me with your photography. Looks like the lessons are paying off, as each one you upload seems better than the last.
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Thank you so much, dear Mari! 🙂
How nice to write this, that makes us very happy.
Wishing you a relaxing weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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The main photo is simply sumptuous. It is like a Dutch Master painting of the old school. Wonderful lighting and background, and a real achievement.
As always, KB’s words add symbolism to the image, and the work is complete.
Love from Beetley, Pete and Ollie. X
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WOW, dear Pete, thank you very, very much for your kind words.
Well, we all love those still lifes because originally they consist of a combination of text and picture. And we are very much interesting in any combination of text and picture that makes sense. Well, blogging we are all the time inspired to reflect this combination and this time we were looking back to solutions the Baroque tried out. I am sure we will go on playing around with still lifes and/or emblemata.
Wishing you a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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A beautiful study in brown tones, using black as the contrast to draw attention to the subject, and a hint of metallic to draw additional interest. Intuitive? Contrived? It really doesn’t matter does it…. the end result is beautiful. Excellent! 🙂
The “mirrored” effect, while adding a dimension to the original, is less appealing to me because it exudes manipulation. The single subject presents itself far more naturally. Great work regardless.
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Thank you so much for this highly appreciated comment, Colin. You are not the only one thinking that the mirrored one is less appealing.
Actually we had planned to post only one photo – to keep it cam and still.
Because of WP and the new layout of the reader, I had to think of something. This still life looks the best as an upright photo. WP dos not favour this kind of work, it makes persons appear without a head or feet, a sunrise pops up without the sun etc and this still life probably would show up without feathers. There has been lot of heated objections from photographers on WP’s new layout, but that’s history now ..
Somehow I now I feel slightly “manipulated” to create something that is not right. 😉 I’ll not do this in the future, thanks for making me aware of it. 😊🙏
Warm greetings from sunny Bonn,
Dina
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Hi,
thank you so much for your great commentary 🙂
Well, a still life is a symbolic riddle and you are absolutely right it can be well read from the colours. We combined brown and black for symbolic reason and as it is classic for the memento mori. The metallic is there for symbolic and aethetic reasons too as contrast – colour contrast connotating the contrast air (books = mind) and grounding (eating = earth).
We see those still lifes as an honest art which doesn’t try to hide that it is an artefact. In the emblemata and still lifes painted about 400 years ago art was arrangement. That something was arranged was the artistic thrill that was openly shown. We would say the kind of arrangement was the artist’s statement.
We wish you a great weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Hi “guys”. It could be interesting some time to create the same setting, but repeat it with appropriate alternative colour shades. i.e. there are old books with faded blue/green hues, and blue feathers are reasonable. My mind is wondering what the overall difference in response would be to such an alternative, but perfectly feasible, color shade change? Would the comfort and warmth of browns be lost? Would blues create an air of mystique?Just thinking. That’s what my mind does!
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What a great idea!
As every colour has not only its own symbolism but provokes a different feeling as well I suppose that with another colous sheme it will produce different feelings and associations. As you say it would change the mood readiated by this still life.
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A lovely still life. It almost seems like creating it would have been like meditation, breathe and letting things go and settling into the photo.
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Yes, it is a meditation – to look at it and it was producing it.
Thank you
Easy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Utterly gorgeous!
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THANK YOU!
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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A meditative commentary about the inner benefits of how we each see the outer world through our own lens (figuratively and literally). The still life has charm and rhythm that draws me into its possible narratives. Well done.
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Good afternoon, dear Sally
thank you very much for your interpretation of our iconographic riddle 🙂
Have a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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P.S.
Sorry, but for some unknown reason I cannot LIKE your commentary. So the like comes here
LIKE
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I can help: 😊🙏👏💕
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Oh dear, on our FairyMacBook we cannot give you a LIKE either.
Little Bookfayries don’t understand this. Instead we are sending you finest fairy dust and wishing you an easy week
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Beautiful images and representation!
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Dear Annika
thank you very much! 🙂
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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It takes a lot of movement to create a still life photo and this one is a beauty. I recently read a quote, “Photography is light plus time.” You have made excellent use of both.
Ω
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Dear Omega
what a great quote! It brings it to the point.
We fiddled around with time here in many ways
first to use a form of art that’s about 400 years old
second to replace the old technique of painting with modern photography
third of course with lighting as our aim was working without artifical light
That produces a kind of alienation that documents artefical character of this symbolic riddle – that was what we wanted.
Thank you, cheers
The Fab Four of Cley
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I was told early on in my photography career that in a photograph, light strikes the subject either from an unseen source outside of the the frame or from somewhere inside the photograph itself. You have done a wonderful job controlling the reflections and eliminating hotspots. I also like the dark color palette of browns and black.
Ω
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Dear Allan,
Dina took these photos with natural light from our big western windows at a quite low early spring sun. But I suppose she better writes about controlling the light, she is the specialist.
Enjoy the weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Each one of you did an amazing job on the finished photo.
Ω
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Thank you
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Thank you for showing us how still life can be photographed beautifully. Love the light, texture, color, and the arrangement. So well done. 🙂
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Dear Amy
Thank you very much 🙂 you are very welcome.
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
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Very interesting reading about the 17th Century hidden meaning!
It’s intriguing the different interpretations we can take from a picture if we let our mind wander. To me the books would/could hold learning, knowledge, or a journey into unknown lands, which could open the mind to new horizons. If there were crossed knives it could mean a fight! But the spoons (probably for jam) to me are for feeding and caring. Feathers are soft and gentle and of the country, and the dark background feels deeply peaceful.
A really thought provoking post and a great photo! 🙂
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Good afternoon, dear Jude
indeed that was the interesting challenge to confront the hieratic idea of the world and it’s symbolism with our modern perception that’s open to a lot of meanings. We read a lot in such a still life nowadays and it’s quite subjective whereas in Baroque every symbol had a set meaning that was shared by all the onlookers.
To play around with these differences of how to perceive symbolism was fun for us and we would like to go on and look where it leads to.
Thanks and have a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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I look forward to more! 🙃
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Hi, dear Jude,
we all four are wondering how do you get a smily up-site-down?
Is this a big secret – otherwise could you tell us, please.
Have a happy week
The Fab Four of Cley
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I only have the upside down smiley on my tablet! Not on the computer. I think it’s a tablet thing – maybe part of Android. I write a lot of my WordPress replies on the tablet – by the fire, with my feet up! 💐🌸💮🏵🌹🌺🌻🌷🍀🎂🍰🍩☕☕🍸🚜🚂⭐🌟🌠🏍🎶📚
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Me too! I’ve found it, thank you, Jude❣️🙏🏻 🙃🙃🙃 🤓
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😎😎😎😎😎😎🙃😎😎😎🙆
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👍🏻😊🌹😂👩❤️👩
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🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴😊
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😍😍😍🇳🇴
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Good morning, der Jude,
thank you!
We like to write on our iPad too and in front of the fire as well. Oh dear, we don’t have this up-side-down smily, but doesn’t matter.
Wishing you a GREAT Tuesday
Klausbernd :-), Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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These are for you – put them in a jar! 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃😘
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Now they are jared in 😉 and we can take them out when needed.
Thank you very much, dear Jude
The Fab Four of Cley
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Dear Dina xxx
you have to show us!
Love and kisses
Klausbernd 🙂 xxx, Siri 🙂 xxx and 🙂 xxx Selma
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I will. 🙃🙃🙃🤗
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THANK YOU
🙃🙃🙃
from our jar
Love
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Wonderful shots of still life, very artistic, warm and peaceful ❤
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Dear Tiny
thank you very much for your kind words 🙂 we very much appreciate.
Wishing you a great weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Wonderful, and I love the idea of appreciating such pictures aesthetically, or simply enjoying it in stillness and passivity, or allowing analysis by another part of your brain to consider the symbolism and hidden meanings. I’ve stood in museums in front of still-life paintings from the 1600’s, not wanting to consult a guide, studying the compositions of skulls, quills, decaying fruit, a pointed finger, etc. and concocting my own explanation, to my own satisfaction. The handsome feathers in yours did distract me, and lured me into thinking of fly fishing! (which I’ve never tried yet) But after all, angling also requires stillness and discipline. And I think your essay is also very deft.
Have a wonderful weekend, congratulations on this excellent post.
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Thank you very much, dear Robert 🙂
there are always many ways to understand such a still life. Originally in the time of Baroque the hidden meaning of such a picture was set in a kind of objective way shared by everyone. Nowadays we see much more and different meanings in such a picture. That’s the freedom of the modern onlooker. But there are similarities as well as such still lifes are a kind of other-worldly, opposite to our every-day-world. And this tension makes modern still lifes to interesting meditaton objects, as you say, stimulating mind and feeling.
Thanks for your commentary.
Enjoy the weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Some of the symbolism in the old paintings is familiar from reading history – vocations, mortality, vanity, resurrection, etc. akin to the language of flowers & herbs in Elizabethan or Victorian bouquets. But you are right, a modern onlooker may enjoy the freedom to invent his own codes, and given my simple mind, the cutlery and the absence of the former owner of those beautiful feathers, makes me think those are cookbooks, full of recipes for roasted pheasant! 🙂 But to be serious, when I went back to enjoy this picture again, I see that like some of your other fans, it was not just the nice positioning of the items, but also the rich browns, bronzes and a lovely pool of darkness that make this composition so pleasing. Thank you and I hope you have a great weekend.
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Dear Robert,
indeed, colours are very important in symbolism because they have the strongest – although often subliminal – impact on the onviewer. With a colour sheme one can create certain moods and it works immediately.
Shades of brown used in a certain way give a cosy atmosphere.
Well, this we learned from Dina and our Master.
Finest fairy dust and have an easy week
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Dear Siri & Selma – thank you for your nice response. I find the reactions to colors, or moods, as you say, very fascinating, complex, and “situational.” A small room in a restaurant, with burgundy-colored walls, may be a bit claustrophobic and discourages us from eating too much (¡ trágico !) But a much larger room painted in burnt sienna is warming and lovely. And thank you for the fairy dust also, I was definitely needing some! 🙂
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WOW, well done, our dear Bookfayries 🙂 🙂
Dark colours always connotate a secret also, you can see this in modern films quite well.
Love xxx
Klausbernd 🙂
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Dear Robert
the right colour for a dining room would be orange. Orange makes hungry – of course on walls only an orange broken with white, otherwise it would cause claustophobic feelings. And if you want to save on heating bills orange is good as well. An orange room makes you feel about 2 to 3 degrees C warmer. This shows this subliminal impact of colour.
Here in England burgundy-red is quite often used in big rooms. It creats a warm atmosphere like some shades of brown.
The builders of the Baroque often used colour to create illusion how we see a room. They knew a lot about the impact of colour in architecture – how to make a room look bigger, a ceiling look higer etc.
Well, there is so much to say about the impact of colour, too much for a blog. I just published a revised tenth edition of my book about colours (in German), maybe my publishers can sell the English copyright as well. It’s available in German, Italian, Portugese and in Slowenia und Serbia as well as in the Baltic countries, but not in English yet.
With lots of love and thanks for commenting
Klausbernd 🙂
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Well that is gorgeous, innit. I love books, have collected a file of beautiful book pictures.
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Good evening, dear Jacqui
what a bril idea a file of pictures of beautiful books. When our dear Master was working we used to travel with him to the Bologna Book Fair where the most beautiful books are shown – but modern ones. These were real beauties we always fell in love with. We have some facsimiles of illuminated manuscripts in our library we often scroll through for fun.
The bigger book in this still life is from 1757.
Wishing you an easy weekend and thanks for commenting
The Fab Four of Cley
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I bet Dina is Chris’s best student. These photos are beautiful.
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Hi, dear Anneli,
well, we think she is.
Thank you for liking Dina’s still life.
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
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She is an amazing photographer with a keen eye for composition. Love her pics.
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🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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GREAT
THANK YOU
Lots of fairy dust and have a happy week
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Wonderful pictures inspiring stillness and serenity as well.
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Good evening, dear Vincenza,
thanks for your kind commentary 🙂
It’s a picture for meditation, isn’t it?
Wishing you a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Yes, indeed!
Have a great evening 🙂
Vicky
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We’ll have quite a cosy evening after having worked hard in the garden.
Wishing you an easy week and sending you finest fairy dust
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Beautiful photo. To capture such meaning in a still life is a wonderful thing. the image reminded me of a scene one might see in the 1900’s. Well done and thank you for sharing.
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Good evening, dear John,
this still life immediately transports you in a time gone. It provokes a meditative view. To confront to different times was for us the interesting bit.
Thanks and we wish you a wonderful weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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You as well
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Beautiful images.. 🙂 And loved the feathers on the books, giving the feeling of Wisdom.. as the feathers reminded me of Owl.
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Dear Sue
GREAT, a new idea we didn’t think about! Thank you 🙂
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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🙂 Big smiles and Happy to have generated another thought.. ❤
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🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Very intersting observations. My life will need to be still for a while as I try to absorb and assimilate all you’ve said regarding the interplay between still lifes and photography.
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Dear David,
these are just our associations. May those inspire you as a photographer.
Thanks for commenting
The Fab Four of Cley
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👍 Ein wunderschönes Bild, sehr schön in Szene gesetzt. Es passt alles wunderbar zusammen. Die Federn sind toll, von welchen Vögeln sind die denn?
LG, Susanne
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Guten Abend, liebe Susanne,
das sind die Federn von den Fasanen in unserem Garten. Hier in Norfolk gibt es unzählige Fasane, die die Landschaft beleben.
Danke für deinen Kommentar. Wir wünschen dir ein wundervolles Wochenende
The Fab Four of Cley
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Guten Abend,
danke für eure Antwort. Das sind wirklich schicke Federn. Schön, dass die Fasane euch regelmäßig welche abgeben. 😊
LG und auch euch ein sonniges Wochenende, Susanne
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Ja, unsere Fasane unterstützen unsere Kunst, die sind keine Banausen 😉
Die Sonne scheint und jetzt geht’s ab in den Garten.
Liebe Grüße vom Meer
The Fab Four of Cley
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Bei uns schien dieses Wochenende auch herrlich die Sonne. Der Frühling ist an jeder Ecke zu sehen und zu hören. Grüßt mir das Meer. Anfang Mai geht es für uns endlich mal wieder an die Ostsee.
Liebe Grüße,
Susanne
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Oh, so ‘ne Schande, nach über 2 Wochen fast Sommer ist es heute plötzlich so kalt geworden, dass wir wieder die Heizung anstellten.
Das Meer grüßt euch rauschend zurück!
Bei uns geht’s im Mai zu den Hebriden und Orkneys, zu dem raueren Meer sozusagen. Wir haben vor langer Zeit länger an der Ostsee zuerst in Schweden, später in Finnland gewohnt und lieben die Ostsee sehr. Sie ist schon etwas sanfter als die Nordsee hier.
Liebe Grüße, schöne Woche
The Fab Four of Cley
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Nachts ist es bei uns auch noch sehr frisch, aber tagsüber steigen die Werte zum Glück. Die Hebriden und Orkneys kenne ich leider nur aus dem TV, aber dort muss es wirklich sehr schön sein. Das Raue liegt uns auch sehr – daher lieben wir auch Irland.
Liebe Grüße und auch euch eine schöne Woche,
Susanne
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Danke
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Ja, die Fasane sind große Förderer der Kunst.
Wir wünschen dir, liebe Susanne, eine feine Woche
The Fab Four of Cley
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Mein lieber Fasan, das ist wie aus edler Fasanenfeder ins Dunkle hinein celebriert. Die Bücher rufen: Welt stehe still, sammle dich, ver-dichte dich.
Grossartig.
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Lieber Achim, guten Abend,
habe herzlichen Dank für deinen tollen Kommentar 🙂 Ganz PRIMA. Da freut sich selbst der Fasan 🙂
Liebe Grüße von Cley nach Freiburg
The Fab Four of Cley
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Grossartig dein Kommentar
DANKE
Lieben Feenhauch von uns auch
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma
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Great spoons… wonderful images…. deep thoughts. 🙂 🙂 It’s what I’ve come to expect in your neighbourhood. Enjoy your Spring weekend!
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Thank you so much dear Jo
indeed we have great spring weather, working in the garden – when not blogging 😉
Have a wonderful sunny weekend too
The Fab Four of Cley
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Beautiful compositions.
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Thank you very, very much! 🙂 Well, we tried a lot and this is the ultimate result.
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Wonderful, wonderful wonderful. There is depth, drama, solitude, reflection captured within this still life. I was especially engaged by the shades of colour and energy brought about by the lighting. Joyful hugs coming to my dear friends, the Fab Four of Cley.
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Good evening, our dear friend Rebecca,
it was fun to play around with symbolism, with light and with accessories to produce a meditative picture in the style of the Baroque. In the still lifes of the 17th c. text and picture belonged together and this is what we are interested in and what’s challange in every blogpost, isn’t it …
With big HUGs from the
Fab Four of Cley
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It is indeed. I love being transported by into time. Photography allows me to time-travel and engage with those who have go before us… Thank you…
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🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
have a happy weekend
Here it’s spring: sunshine and warm
We wish you sun
HUGs
The Fab Four of Cley
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Finest fairy dust from us and thank you our dear friend
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Dina’s images and your thought-provoking commentary were a perfect lesson to me as to how art and photography come together to present a powerful message to our hectic world, where speed and progress are dictating our day to day life. Instead of being caught up in the dizzying maelstrom of life, you are making a valiant effort to escape through the art of still life, which appears so old-fashioned, yet in fact I see as the first signs of a counter-current to a world that has gone astray.
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Good morning, dear Peter,
thanks a lot for your kind and clever commentary 🙂
We absolutely agree with you: Such still lifes as meditative pictures are the opposite to the rat race and they are meant to be as a counter-current. It seems to us that at least in art this counter-current is getting stronger.
We wish you a wonderful weekend. We have spring here, warm and sunny 🙂
With lots of love from the small village next the big sea
The Fab Four of Cley
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What a pleasant surprise! Thank you, Klausbernd, for responding so thoughtfully to my comment! It was heartwarming to see kindred spirits at work to bring a little bit of peace and tranquillity back into our restless world. Dina’s still life photographs and your description point in that direction.
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Thank you very much. Your commentary makes us very happy. Is always to communicate with a kindred spirit.
With lots of love from sunny Norfolk
The Fab Four of Cley
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You are soooo kind
Finest fairy dust from us and have a GREAT week
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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I really like your still life photography, Dina. You and your mentor have created a wonderful image with full control over lighting, mood, and composition. Because you ,as a photographer, directly influence the image creation process, still life photos reflect the creativity and style of you. For this reason, photographers who specialize in still life mostly end up with a unique and creative portfolio. Have you thought about this? 🙂 Even if the endless possibilities of still life photography can seem daunting, it’s definitely worth trying out. I think you have got what it takes. Go for it!
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Good morning, dear John,
WOW, thank you so much for your kind words we really appreciate 🙂 Klausbernd was telling Dina the same and we Bookfayries agree with you as well. We think Dina has a great talent for this kind of photography. We Fab Four can connect our abilities because Klausbernd knows a bit about the history of still lifes and art and symbolism and Siri and Selma like to collect objects on the beach and arrange them. So it’s great team work.
Wishing you a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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the visuals of your blog are breathtaking! all the pictures and the colors are inspiring! such a job well done!
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What a great commentary! 🙂 Thank you VERY much.
Enjoy the weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Beautiful photos. I love these!
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Good morning, dear Katherine,
it was fun producing these pictures. We really like to construct a kind of philosophical statement in our art work – like artist used to do during the Baroque. Actually we think that’s quite up-to-date, a counter-current in our age of acceleration.
Thanks for commenting
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
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Beautiful works creating this still life, not only from photographic point of view but the creation of the subjects themselves.
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Thank you so much! 🙂
You are absolutely right: producing such a still life involves not only photography but also choosing the right objects and arrange them in a way that make sense. As we wrote already above, it’s team work and – very important – it’s fun 🙂
Have a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Please have a great weekend too!
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🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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🙂 🙂 and finest fairy dust
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Dina’s talents are never ending. This is a delightful image – like a very old painting and so beautifully created (with the help no doubt of Siri and Selma who no doubt selected the best books in the house for this purpose). I have never tried still life photography, but I can see its appeal if you have the patience and vision to select objects that work together.
Wishing you all a lovely sunny and spring-like weekend 🙂
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Hey, dear Jude,
it’s fun to find and collect the objects for such a still life, that is what Siri and Selma love to do. Their fairy eyes spot the best books, feathers and stones. And afterwards arranging them, what our dear Master likes to do because he knows about symbolism, and then Dina looks for the right light and the photography. It’s a team work we really enjoy. You are right you need quite some patience to get everything ready for being photographed. The first picture took us a whole day, but a day of fun, sparkling with ideas.
Thanks for commenting and have a GREAT weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Dear Jude,
… and we Bookfayries watch that our products are getting not too perfect that they becoming sterile, without feelings. We love a bit of chaos, well, in a small dose only.
With finest fairy dust for you
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Absolutely beautiful still like photograph Dina! Are not the cutlery tools for us to ingest food for sustaining our bodies, feathers to remind us to soar, and books to feed our souls? ❤
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Good morning, dear Rose,
thank you for your inspiring commentary. We fully agree with your reading of the symbolism of Dina’s still life. We started from the symbolic language of Baroque emblemata and tried to open it up for our times now. It’s amazing how many interpretations appear which make sense. It’s like a language with many possible sub-texts.
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Have a fabulous week! You and your family are amazing and talented beyond measure. 🦋🌹💋
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Oh, thank you very much!
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
xxx
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We Bookfayries always see a lot of meanings – it’s like this in the fairy world. No universe is one-dimensional.
Thanks for writing what you are seeing in our still life 🙂
With fairy dust from
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma, the clever Bookfayries
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I love fairy dust! Sorry; I meant “still life.” All the best! 🌹🦋
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Absolutely stunning, Dina 🙂
Beautiful composition and I love the lighting. I’m a big fan of low light photography.
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Vicky. 🙂
I love low key photography. And high key as well! 🙂
Wishing you a great weekend. I hope you are ok?
Hugs fromm the Rhine Valley,
Dina x
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Thanks, dear Vicki,
we think low key photography tend to produce an atmosphere of a secret. You are immediately taken into an other world. In a way it radiates a kind of mysticism and therefore it makes the viewer to think about it and find his or her meaning in the picture.
Enjoy the weekend 🙂
The Fab Four of Cley
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Dear Dina xxx
for us low key photography is more artistic because it doesn’t show everything at the first glance, wheras high key photography is often much more documenting reality. Of course in every reality there is a hidden secret as well. But high key photography is flooding all media since digital photography and this inflation has the effect that one doesn’t really look at it because we are so much used to it. Low key photography makes us linger and really think and try to understand or being taken by the mood.
With lots of love and kisses xxxxxx
Klausbernd :-), Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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“Die Ruhe des Bildes im Zeitalter der Beschleunigung” is an sich der richtige Start in meinem Wochenende. Ein Besuch auf diesen Blog ist immer ein wortgewaltiges, eindrückliches und Bild-sames Erlebnis! Ich bin begeistert. 🙂
Ein schönes Wochenende,
mit herzlichen Grüßen aus Frankfurt,
Jürgen
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Guten Tag, lieber Jürgen,
das ist aber ein toller Kommentar! 🙂 Ganz herzlichen Dank für dein Lob.
Naja, wir versuchen sinnvoll mit Bild und Wort auf unserem Blog zu kommunizieren. Und im Vollzug der Kommunikation wird uns Vieles selbst erst deutlicher.
Dieser Blog ist Teamwork. Wir versuchen nicht nur die gleiche Qualität im ikonographischen wie im verbalen Ausdruck zu erreichen, sondern auch, dass beide Ausdrucksformen sich sinnvoll ergänzen.
Mit lieben Grüßen vom sonnigen Meer zum Main
The Fab Four of Cley
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… und wir schauen danach, dass es immer auch etwas lustig ist.
Feenhauch für dich von
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma
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Such life in these stills, I love the quote “Calm pictures in a world of acceleration” ~ you’ve achieved this perfectly Dina, simply wonderful. Still lifes can bring chaos into perfect focus, and when I see these old books, the feathers, and the artistic mirror of this photo with this low-key technique, I can get lost in thought and what can/could and has been. Great post!
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Thank you very, very much, dear Dalo 🙂
we believe that every picture reflects the mode of its production. We were having fun working together to produce this still life and we suppose the picture radiates that. It’s playful and philosophical, it connects to old pictures and combining it with modern technology of low-key photography.
We think like you it’s a picture for meditating and at the same time a genuine expression of our world here at home.
Have a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Was für ein faszinierendes geradezu altmeisterliches Bild ist dir da gelungen, liebe Dina! Ich kann mich gar nicht satt sehen an dem Spiel von Licht und Schatten, von Schärfe und Unschärfe, am Detailreichtum vor dem dunklen Grund, der dem Auge die nötige Ruhe bietet. Wenn ich daran denke, wie rasch und oftmals achtlos heute viele Fotos entstehen, weiß ich die Sorgfalt deines Arrangements (das sicher auch ein Vergnügen war) erst richtig zu schätzen. Dazu passt wunderbar, etwas über die abgebildeten Gegenstände zu erfahren. Mit den gekreuzten Löffeln geht es mir übrigens ähnlich wie Susanne, sie sind mir ein wenig unheimlich. Dafür bleibt mein Auge immer wieder an der abgegriffenen Buchkante hängen. Eine tolle Arbeit!
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Liebe Maren,
das ist aber ein toller Kommentar, der unserer lieben Dina richtig gut getan hat 🙂
We gesagt, die gekreuzten Löffel sind quasi ein ikonographisches Zitat, das sich auf die gekreuzten Knochen als eines der Lieblingssymbole damaliger Zeit bezieht. Auf der anderen Seite kannst du auch die beiden Ebenen damit angesprochen sehen: Jene der normativen Symbolbedeutungen im Barock und die der freien Symbolbetrachtung in unserer heutigen Zeit. Und beide treffen sich hier im Bild, wie die beiden Löffel sich überkreuzen. Was wir nicht bedacht haben, aber worauf uns Susanne und du uns erst aufmerksam gemacht habt, dass diese Anordnung Spannung erzeugt. Völlig ohne solche Spannung können ja derartige Stillleben leicht in den Kitsch abgleiten, indem sie den Erwartungshorizont des Rezipienten bedienen. Eine gewisse Abweichung vom Erwartungshorizont des Rezipienten macht nach unserer Theorie ein Artefakt erst zu einem interessanten ästhetischen Objekt. Aber, wie gesagt, das fällt uns jetzt erst dazu ein, es war nicht bewusst derart geplant. Herzlichen Dank für den Hinweis.
Wir wünschen dir ein wunderbares Wochenende
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Hallo Klausbernd, Spannung zu erzeugen, über die rein ästhetische Wirkung hinaus zu gehen, ist ein gutes Argument, finde ich. Auch in der Retrospektive. Zu-Fall ist das ja ohnehin nicht bei so einer versierten Bildgestalterin. 🙂
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Guten Tag, liebe Maren,
wir finden das auch immer wieder erstaunlich, wie Dina rein intuitiv solche Gestaltungsentscheidung fällt. Sie macht es einfach “richtig” und Masterchen und Siri analysieren es dann im Nachhinein. Als versierte Bildgestalterinnen sehen Dina und Selma einfach die beste ästhetische Lösung. Wir lasen mal von großen Schachspielern, die nur gute und einfach keine schlechten Züge sehen. So ist das wohl auch bei der Bildgestaltung, es ist das, was häufig einfach “Geschmack” genannt wird.
Eine wunderbare Woche wünschen dir
The Fab Four of Cley
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Danke! Das ist aber ein lieber Kommentar, der uns beiden Buchfeen sehr fröhlich macht.
Wir finde es gut, dass in diesem Stillleben nicht alles völlig glatt ist, da muss es doch etwas Widerständiges geben. Dafür fühlen wir uns verantwortlich.
Mit feinsten Feenhauch von
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma
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Ach, ihr wart das! Kein Wunder, dass so ein starkes Bild herauskommt, wenn ihr zu viert daran arbeitet. 😉
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🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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beautifully expresses
together
what is old
and new
in a fresh
focused
composition 🙂
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Exactly! This we wanted to express: old meets new or vice versa.
Thanks a lot, cheers and a great weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Gorgeous still life. Truly appreciate the editing as well. Great image! 💖
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Hi, dear Amy,
thanks for liking this post with our still life 🙂
It was fun to produce it as we all four were involved.
Wishing you a happy Sunday
The Fab Four of Cley
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We like your rose
Fairy dust from
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Brilliant!
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THANK YOU
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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With our help!
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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… of course!
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I shall look at still lines in a new way, now knowing the thought, planning and emotions that go into the process. Your photograph is lovely, Dina, you are multi-talented. Always nice to have a cheering section when learning something new!
Cheers!
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Thank you so much, dear Elisa,
to produce such a still life is much more than photography. The photography is the last bit. We like it that there are so many different activities are involved like studying symbolism, finding objects, arranging them etc. This suits us very well, because we all four can take part.
Thank you and have a wonderful Sunday
The Fab Four of Cley
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grosse Kunst…ein bisschen wie bei den Mac Kenzie Frazer’s in “Outlander” von Gabaldon… schönen Sonntag…have a good sunday – all of you 😉
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Guten Tag,
ja, danke für dein Lob, das uns sehr freut 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 – ja, uns alle vier!
Auch dir einen wunderbaren Sonntag. Hier scheint schon seit Tagen die Sonne, es ist schon fast wie Sommer.
Mit lieben Grüße vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
The Fab Four of Cley
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Huch, da müssen wir uns gleich über “Outlander” informieren. Ehrlich gesagt, kennen wir das nicht. Aber wir kleinen Buchfeen können auch nicht alles wissen. Danke für den Hinweis!
Feinen Feenhauch von
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma
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Wonderful pieces, wonderful art .. and what a great shot! 😃
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Dear Julie
thanks for liking our post 🙂 We love playing around with still lifes.
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
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We not only love this playing around, we need it!
Fairy dust from
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Liebe Hanne, (heute du zuerst 😉 ) schön, wie du weiter und weiter lernst, das Stillleben ist ästethisch und schön anzusehen, auch wenn ich mich frage warum du es gespiegelt hast, denn dadurch entsteht in meinen Augen wieder eine Unruhe, der Blick wandert von links nach rechts und zurück oder hast du genau das gewollt, weil es sonst “zu” still geworden wäre?! Ich dachte dabei auch an die Bilder von Roswitha, besonders an ihre jetzige Serie der Feldstudien, sie mag ich sehr, weil sie wirklich Stille transportieren und es gleichzeitig um Wachstum, Ernte und Vergänglichkeit geht…
Ihr Lieben alle, auch euch danke ich für den klugen Begleittext und nun grüsse ich euch von Herzen und wünsche euch einen feinen Sonntag
Ulli
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Guten Tag, liebe Ulli,
zur Spiegelung wird sicher Dina noch etwas schreiben. Sie ist gerade unterwegs, deswegen ein klein wenig Geduld bitte.
Unsere Meinung dazu: Ein Artefakt braucht eine Brechung, um nicht in den Kitsch abzusinken, d.h. keine Spannung mehr zu haben. Aber ob das auch Dinas Idee war, wissen wir nicht. Aber ehrlich gesagt, geht’s uns wie dir, uns gefällt das einzelne Bild auch am besten.
Uns hat besonders das Spiel mit der alten und neuen Kunstform interessiert, so nach dem Motto Barock meets Moderne.
Ganz liebe Grüße vom fast schon sommerlichen Meer
The Fab Four of Cley
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Guten Abend, liebe Ulli,
wir Buchfeen bringen die Arrangements immer leicht durcheinander, dass sie nicht zu perfekt und somit gähnend langweilig werden. Dina und Masterchen sind oft nicht gerade erfreut darüber. Aber wir bringen nicht nur Leben in die Bude sondern auch in Kunst, damit Dina und Masterchen nicht völlig saturiert verbürgerlichen.
Lieben Feenhauch von
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma
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wie gut, dass es euch gibt 😉 ❤
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Schönes Stillleben. Es ist nur nicht still….
Liebste Grüße von Pia
…normalerweise machen mich Stillleben etwas aggressiv…eures nicht! Ganz und gar nicht….
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Guten Abend, liebe Pia,
der Clou eines Stilllebens liegt ja darin, dass die unbewegten Gegenstände in eine gewisse Spannung gesetzt werden. Wäre ein Stillleben nur still, dann wäre es doch langweilig.
Schön, dass dir unser Stillleben gefällt 🙂 Wir haben uns viel Mühe damit gegeben, es hat uns Spaß gemacht und richtig begeistert.
Eine wunderschöne Woche wünschen dir
The Fab Four of Cley
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Auch von uns Buchfeen, die besten Wünsche für eine wunderbare Woche.
Viel Freude mit deinen Tanzmäuschen 🙂
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma
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Liebste Sirifee, Danke, es wird wahrscheinlich eine wunderbar schöne Wunderwoche, blaue Wunder, rote, gelbe….usw…
Habe natürlich jetzt wieder den Extremohrwurm: Spoonful of sugar…, kommt darauf an welche Medizin und mit wieviel Zucker, dann geht der Exodus schneller?! Manchmal ist alles verkehrt, egal wie man es macht….Lieber Herr Gesangsverein!
Der Duft dieser richtig alten Bücher ist meiner Spürnase entgangen, haben die KB und Hanne vor den Barbaren versteckt? Vor den Eseln, die Hundeohren in Bücher machen?
Naja, wie Hermine (Freundin von Harry) schon sagt: Leute, ihr solltet lesen!
Was ich noch Off-topic erwähnen wollte: Bei meinem letzten merkwürdigen Seminar lagen ganz viele Traumbücher von KB bereit, zum Nachschauen…da war ich mal glücklich!
Grüße an deine liebe Schwester und die anderen!
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Guten Morgen, liebe Pia,
naja, ähmmm, wir haben da so ein paar Bücher, die in unserer Bibliothek nicht offen herumstehen. Dazu gehören diese Bücher aus dem 18. Jh. und u.a. Erstauflagen von Nansen, Amundsen und die deutsche I Ging Erstausgabe (Jugendstil). Das sind sozusagen unsere Schätzchen.
Das ist toll mit meinen Traumbüchern, so etwas erfreut mich immer. Irgendwie gibt es da zur Zeit viele gute Nachrichten, so dass die bearbeitete Neuauflage meines Farbbuchs, die Anfang März herauskam, beim Museum Ludwig in Köln an der Kasse neben dem Katalog liegt. So etwas erfreut mein Autorenherz.
Mit lieben Grüße vom heute plötzlich kalt gewordenen Cley
Klausbernd 🙂
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Guten Morgen, liebe Pia,
liebsten Feendank für deine Grüße an uns Buchfeen.
Für uns ist der Duft der alten Bücher Lebensbalsam, deswegen haben wir auf Regalbrett 3 und 4, wo wir wohnen, einige alte Bände stehen statt einer Duftlampe.
Wir sind übrigens die Ordentlichen, die Eselsohren und anderes bei den alten Büchern beheben. Die Bücher leiden nämlich darunter und rufen – nur für Feen hörbar – um Hilfe.
Wir senden dir liebsten Feenhauch
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma, die fröhlichen Buchfeen
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Aha, das ist ein spannendes Jahrhundert…dass Voltaire im Schwetzinger Schloss weilte, hier um die Ecke…mit der Katharina in ihrem Goldpalast korrespondierte…..
Siri, Selma, da ist es lustig! Da kann man mit Filzpantoffeln durch den großen Tanzsaal schlittern, so wie Pipi Langstrumpf beim Hausputz! Ach, ihr könnt ja fliegen! Ich vergaß!
So, leider kann ich mich jetzt nicht mehr in vergangenen Jahrhunderten aufhalten, aber nochmal:
Wirklich schön euer Stillleben!!
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Danke, liebe Pia,
obwohl wir fliegen können, lieben wir es auch mit Filzpantöffelchen durch alte Räume fröhlich zu rutschen.
Der Geist des Voltaire ist sicherlich etwas, das unser liebes Masterchen beflügeln würde. Also, wenn wir dich noch mal besuchen kommen, dann nix wie ab ins Schwetzinger Schloss.
Schönen Abend dir und feinsten Feenhauch von
Siri 🙂 und 🙂 Selma
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One of the delights of increasing age is the accumulation of memory. This marvelous image is aesthetically pleasing, and artfully arranged, but it’s also quite evocative — at least, for me. The feathers recall one of my mother’s favorite hats. The books are not only sight, but also the scent of old volumes purchased by the boxload at farm sales and auctions. And the cutlery? Horn-handled treasures brought out only for special feasting. It’s interesting to look at old utensils. Their shapes recall a quite different life-style, too, shaped as they are for purposes that requires several courses and a good bit of time: dining, as opposed to eating. The plastic “spork” is their very antithesis.
I did notice this: “Their pages are cracked and are full of dog-ears. That makes every book lover cry. ” Not necessarily! Pages that are annotated, dog-eared, or tea-stained; broken spines; worn covers and missing pages: all are evidence of a book that was read and perhaps even loved. After all: a perfect volume is one that’s lived on a shelf.
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Good evening,
accumulating memory … Well, here it took place on two levels. On one level for the onlooker as this still life is transporting the viewer in a time long gone; it’s the style and the objects. On the other level is happened for us as the producers. Our dear Master suddenly remembered a two year course at the University about symbolism in Baroque. This still life acts like time machine.
Old books … When we get old books we try to restore them. First ironing pages with dogs ears. If pages are missing we are usually not really interested, except it is a very beautiful book we want to keep for our art work. But you are right dog ears, torn pages etc. show that the book was used. We like it if comments are written on the sites of the pages or if some text is underlined. Dedications we like as well, especially if they are old and written in a fine handwriting. One of the volumes in this still life has a beautifully written dedication from the middle of the 18th c.
Thanks for commenting.
We wish you am easy week
The Fab Four of Cley
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One of my best book experiences was using the internet to track down a person to whom a book was inscribed — an very old book of history — and eventually returning it to him. It had been placed in a sale by error, and he was nearly ecstatic to have it back again. That’s a different kind of re-membering: putting back together a person and his book is very special.
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That’s a great story! I have to admit I never got the idea to track a person inscribed in the certain book. Good idea.
Our Bookfayries love you for putting back a person and his/her book 🙂 🙂
With lots of love
The Fab Four of Cley
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We just like the feeling of old books, their looks and smell. We hardly ever read them. But especially our dear Master quite often does.
With lots of finest fairy dust from
Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma, the happy Bookfayries
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Well, well, I actually hardly ever read those old books, I sometimes browse through them for fun. All those old books we have in new editions, reprints or facsimile for reading. Old books like to be touched but not to be read, they are too old for every page being flipped open.
Have an easy week
Klausbernd 🙂
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Glad the cutlery got attributed, because it was the first thing I noticed!
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Thank you very much for commenting 🙂
We read that you live in an 18th c. high walled kitchen garden (we envy you, well, just a little bit) and we suppose you have got similar cutlery.
In May we will visit the Hebredies (but unfortunately not Uist) on our way up north to the Orkneys. We are very much looking forward to it.
Wishing you a happy week
The Fab Four of Cley
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Wir wunschen Ihnen ‘Gute Reise’!
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Tapadh leibh 🙂
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I loved the story about still life, Dina! Thanks for sharing!
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You are very welcome, Theresa. We had great fun making this post.
Wishing you a lovely day,
with fairy dust
🚶💃🏼👭⭐️💫🌟✨
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Good morning, dear Theresa,
you are very welcome.
We are very much interested in the history of symbolism. And by the way it was like a kind of mathematics in Baroque as the meaning of the symbols was fixed. You say something by combining certain symbols, those pictures were seen as an iconographic equation.
Have an easy day
Klausbernd :-), Siri 🙂 and 🙂 Selma
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Absolutely beautiful 🙂
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Thank you very much, dear Su 🙂
Have a happy day
The Fab Four of Cley
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Ich mag diese Geschichte und die Bilder über das Stillebens sehr. Vielen Dank für die interessanten Informationen und den schönen Beitrag!
Liebe Grüsse.
Ernst
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Guten Morgen, lieber Ernst,
das freut uns, dass dir unsere Post gefällt. Wir waren auch ganz begeistert dabei, sie zu entwerfen. Für unser Masterchen war’s zugleich eine Zeitreise in die Anfänge seines Studiums, als er sich in Seminaren über die Symbolik des Baroque den Hintern platt saß 😉
Auch dir liebe Grüße vom heute vernebelten Meer
The Fab Four of Cley
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Aber dein Hinternplattsitzen hat sich gelohnt ! Ich glaub über Europa liegt eitel Sonnenschein…
😀
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🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Amazing shot.
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Thank you 🙂
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
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Diese kunstvollen und Ruhe austrahlenden Bilder stehen für mich sehr im Gegensatz zu unserer hektischen Welt und es ist eigentlich nur die Messer, die mir zu schweben scheinen und vielleicht die heutige Unsicherheit darstellen! Vielen Dank für diese ausserordentlichen Bilder und Erklärungen.:) Cari saluti Martina
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Guten Morgen, liebe Martina,
habe herzlichen Dank! 🙂
Man kann ja solche Stillleben als Meditationsbilder sehen – fast wie europäische Mandalas. Sie sollen zum Innehalten auffordern. Das Messer steht übrigens traditionell für den Geist (mind), so etwa wie die Schwerter in Tarot, man könnte auch sagen, sie stehen für das analytische Denken.
Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer
The Fab Four of Cley
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Ich danke dir herzlich, lieber Klausbernd, für diese interessante Antwort:) Arbeitet nicht zu viel im Garten! Lieben Gruss aus dem Tessin.
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Liebe Martina,
ich liebe es, im Garten zu arbeiten. Das ist für mich Erholung nach all der Bildschirmglotzerei. Aber danke, ich mach’s in Maßen. Es soll ja Freude machen und nicht in Plackerei ausarten. Außerdem erdet es gut, was ein feiner Ausgleich nach all dem luftig intellektuellen Tun ist.
Mit lieben Grüßen ins Tessin
Klausbernd 🙂
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Das richtige Mass zu finden, das scheint mir ein sehr gutes Rezept! Alles Gute Martina
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Das sagten schon Epikur und die Hedonisten, der Weg zum Glück ist das mittlere Maß.
Aber manchmal lieben wir es auch maßlos zu sein 😉
Alles Liebe
The Fab Four of Cley
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Ja, aber wir sollten, so meine ich, mit unserer Masslosigkeit etwas bescheidener sein! Auch alles Liebe Martina
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Wir bemühen uns redlich
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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😀
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Oh Dina! You are having fun! I can’t even find the end of your comments!. I enjoyed my time taking photography.
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Dear Carla
thank you!
Wishing you a great day
The Fab Four of Cley
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Ganz fantastisch, liebe Dina!
Liebe Gruesse, auch an die restlichen 3/4 der Fab Four,
Pit
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Danke, lieber Pit 🙂
Mach’s gut.
Wir grüßen dich ganz lieb vom sonnigen Meer
The Fab Four of Cley
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A beautiful still life, so much more interesting by what you say that it is you. Try to decipher the elements in the still life to learn about your personalities.
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Good morning, dear Otto,
thank you for liking our post. We felt constructing such a still life is like expressing our inner being on one hand and on the other our way of thinking. It taught us a lot about ourselves. Well, one could even produce such still lifes as a kind of therapy. It’s interesting how the objective and the subjective are merging.
All the best and warm greetings from the sunny sea
The Fab Four of Cley
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stunning and calming!
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THANK YOU so much
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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I love this kind of architecture
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Dear Luise
Thank you!
Happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Bringing the inside out and making order of it all is not easy.
Adding calmness to it, well, shall we say, extraordinary.
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Good morning, dear Eddie
thank you very much for understanding what it is all about 🙂
Wishing you a great weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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This must have been a fun exercise to do – maybe you should do more! Your comment about it being a kind of therapy makes sense, for sure.
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Thank you very much 🙂
Wishing you a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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Classic touch 🙂
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Hi, dear Joshi
indeed!
Thanks and cheers
The Fab Four of Cley
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These still lifes are amazing! They evoke a feeling of being there and witnessing their presence. I love that they all have special meaning of ownership that went into their creation. 🙂
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Thank you very much for commenting 🙂
Wishing you a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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I like to pose and rearrange things in my apartment every month. It frees me from redecorating and also brings our plates and vases I haven’t seen for awhile. Living simply in a one bedroom, I have thought my new choices of putting inanimate objects together makes indeed still life’s! Thanks for sharing the sumptuous mirror image of books, silverware and feathers creating something beautiful.
As far as blogging goes, I would miss you but often say to friends, “There’s more to life than blogging!” xoxoxo ❤ Robin 💐
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First of all you are absolutely right, there is more to life than blogging – indeed!
Actually we are quite opposite, we hardly ever change the arrangements of things in our house – well, we throw quite some stuff away regularly. Our arranging takes place in a kind of art for photographing, like these still lifes.
Thank you for commenting, have a great Easter holiday
The Fab Four of Cley
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Dear Fab Four of Cley,
Hope you continue to teach us lessons in art and will be happy to learn more whenever you do.
Have a special Easter with warmth and peace included. xo ❤ Fondly, Robin
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Thank you very much
Love
The Fab Four of Cley xxxx
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Reblogged this on Le Bien-Etre au bout des Doigts.
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We are very happy about your reblogging 🙂 Thank you VERY much.
Have a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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I love the deep rich tones~
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Dear Cindy
we love those deep tones as well. They radiate a feeling of bygone times, don’t they?
Wishing you a great weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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I am finally getting around to seeing your site. I chose this post because of the feathers. I used to have pheasants in the yard, but many years ago there was a bird flu. Now I just have other local birds. But I collect feathers. I have a book where I try to identify the feathers I have collected. It is not an easy task.
I think I could write haiku for all the different feathers… I also enjoy books. Thank you for your visit(s).
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Thank you very much 🙂 🙂
Collecting feathers that’s interesting. You would love it here. We live in a big bird sanctury at the North Norfolk coast. Sometimes the birdwatchers see more than 90 different species of birds in one day. But we imagine that’s not so easy to identify feathers.
Wishing you a happy week to come
The Fab Four of Cley
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P.S.
just have a look here, if you like
https://toffeefee.wordpress.com/?s=bird+watching
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I think still life images are extra nice when they are composed of elements of one’s actual life instead of purchased as photographic props at Tuesday Morning (not that I am beyond finding props at Tuesday Morning you understand). We all have artifacts hanging around from various times of our lives or our grandparents lives etc. I am SUCH a pack rat keeping things for still life ideas in my head which I never get around to. Now that I am getting old and too tired to hike around with heavy cameras, I think this is a good enterprise for non-hike days! I especially LOVE old books and feathers!! Nice job Dina!
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Dear Judy
sorry, for being so delayed in our answer.
We agree, on one hand the objects of a still life must have a meaning for you, actually one has to love them. On the other hand their symbolic meaning matters. Classical still life all have a message that’s produced by the objects shown. And you are right, we never thought about that for still life photography you don’t need to carry heavy equipment far distances.
Thanks for commenting
The Fab Four of Cley
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That reminds me of this line I use sometimes: Do you know why camera equipment is so heavy? So that photographers don’t confuse themselves with hikers. Oh well 🙂 I plan to work some more on still life as well but I have a feeling that any message may be something that happens out of the subconscious when choosing.
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Well, still lifes have a long tradition, especially in Baroque they were produced quite often. It wasn’t so much the feeling that governed the structure of still lifes but their symbolic and hidden meaning. A real still life is a text with a special grammar. Of course it had to look beautiful as well, but it was always beauty with a hidden meaning.
Have a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
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What a well put response. I like the idea of the still life having its own special grammar. I guess the question is whether we understand a language steeped in tradition but filtered through the inner world of the artist.
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Dear Judy
if C.G. Jung was right we understand symbolism subconsciously. I am not so sure, I suppose it’s only right concerning archetypal symbolism. In the tradition of still life there was always a text like in the Baroque emblemata. We will publish another still life in our next blog with a text inspiring the receivers how they could receive it.
Thanks and wishing you a happy week
The Fab Four of Cley
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That sounds great, I will watch for it. Some still life efforts I plan center on people in my life and so I will do something representative of a facet of a person. Hoping it will be cool and not corny!! 🙂
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Dear Judy
we are looking forward to see your still lifes.
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
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Reblogged this on maisysabredavid.
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Dear David
thank you for reblogging 🙂 🙂
All the best
The Fab Four of Cley
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