color A Treatise on Resurrection

Comments/suggestions always welcome.

I like the relationship among the statue and the electric threads. Electricity seems a prerogative of the divine! Very good composition! Warm regards. Glauco

Very good combination of subjects. Power in different shapes!

Gosh, this image appeals to me on so many different levels. First, it reminds me of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Games, where the last torch bearer was hooked onto a wire to create the illusion of flying, but the light was so strong it lit the wire as well, giving off the totally unintended impression of a guy hooked up on a wire, trying to create the illusion of flying.

 

There are very strong metaphors here for the aetheist, the most obvious of which, of course, is the impression that Jesus Christ is a creation of humans, an illusion accomplished by selected wires hooked onto an inanimate subject, which moves the limbs and gives it a super-animated mien, not unlike the giant monsters used to scare children into behaving the way the parent prefers the child.

 

On the other hand, of course, this could well be a representation of the scene from the bible where Christ calms the savage winds, while the disciples cowered in the boat as Christ chastized them: "O Ye men of little faith".

I just can't decide ithat is he giving his blessing for the electric revolution or preaching us about it. Composition is very good. This is actually again one of those images that raises questions more than it gives. Well done Jeff. Warm rgs Tero.

I find it interesting that the statue is place in an apparently cluttered space. I get the connection to the power from divine to man made made to the power in the clouds (frankly, I've seen enough clouds this summer). But it always amazes me where these icons appear, they seem to be found in the midst of a stressful environment added for some balance maybe. Anyways, I always love the thought provoking nature you present and I appreciate all the commentary, this is always an education.

Differently from the other PN friends, some your image, leave me without words! I look for them, and...am impressed! Bravo!...Ciaomau!

A very provocative and suggestive image. A composition like this is bound to generate many interpretations and it would be interesting to read people's reactions to it. I find it clever that you juxtaposed the statue next to the cables. The electricity that passes through these cables is parallel to the faith in God that the statue of Jesus represents. Both cannot be seen, but does that mean that they don't exist?

The juxtaposition here is more than unusual and bizarre, both are human creations.... One is a religious sacred icon (to the human soul), the other, human everyday used reality, and the sky as symbolic backdrop.... you have placed Jesus on the "wrong" place, or in a "street church."..?

 

The angle is very interesting and open to interpretation. I wonder ,as not living in a Christian culture, what was your thoughts while photographing such a symbol in such a surrounding ( angle)....

Glauco: An alternate title could've been something like "The Power of Christ," but I didn't want to veer into sacrilege. Somehow, the pairing of this forceful statue with frail and sagging powerlines seemed an odd juxtaposition.

 

 

Hussein: The contrasts of power was heavy on my mind when taking this shot.

 

 

Emmanuel: As is true of most religion-based things these days, I think one's interpretation is shaped by what one brings to the table. I can see this scene as an atheistic diminution of Christ as something humanly created or alternately as something divine overcoming earthly limits and outshining his surroundings. My interpretation depends entirely on where the wind blows.

 

 

Tero: American Christianity is a plugged-in, electrified experience. As who came from very religious background, it seems a confusing metamorphosis.

 

 

Bob: About the storm clouds. Amen, brother. I've had enough. This is Jesus, rising again over Newton Centre, amidst high-end shopping and jaywalking. I've always believed that driving in Boston (and Newton for that matter) requires incredible faith.

 

 

Maurizio: Thanks. Gratefully.

 

 

Adan: I'm not trying to be a provocateur as much as a thinker. My favorite characters from the Bible include Thomas, doubter extraordinaire, and Jacob, who wrestled with God. I'm sure that God isn't troubled by my doubt. Instead, I expect he likely takes joy in the struggle.

 

 

Pnina: My thoughts regarding this picture were multi-determined. What constitutes a Christian culture is open to interpretation. Had I stepped in front of the statue, Jesus would be prominently displayed in front of a large, beautifully ornate church. But looked at from the side, he is surrounded by the neighborhood, complete with wires and poles and buildings. I was thinking about what represents reality and what Christ would prefer. Thoughts...thoughts...thoughts.

 

 

 

Never have overhead wires added so much to an image, one only wishes that there were more of then in this case. A great eye to see this for its value, Jeff! Great lighting to boot!

Christ is closer to us than we think,though we have tried to put Him on a pedestal.We have put wires and barricades from His coming closer to us.Just my thought. Forgive me.I have no intentions to hurt any faith or feelings.Though I am not a Christian, I love Christ and He loves me more. In any case ,a symbolic image,Jeff.

Shawn: Personally, I love powerlines and wires. I like how they cut the sky into pieces of stained glass. Thanks.

 

 

A.K.: It's so difficult to sift through the muck and mire to find the diamonds. I agree with you and thank you so incredibly much for your comment.

... the hand almost touching the wooden brace, the wires streaming past the Christ figure, the slight lean forward. I like seeing shots like this from you, Jeff.

As I suspect you know, I'd kill for this shot (well maybe not kill, but certainly maim). It is the wonderful juxtaposition of what to some is the sublime beauty of eternal life and the profane. I know that virtually none of your viewers nor you will agree with this, but to me it is a depiction of ugliness, made even more ironic by the inability to protect and preserve even the most revered icons. I do love the way the heavens appear to be angry. Great composition my friend. One final thought. I can't help thinking that if the right hand lowers to touch the wire, that the circuit will be completed and Jesus will light up in full neon glitz.

Amazing photo, excellent point of view, geometry & lighting. Electricity, expression of Power? Main ideological concept since its invention. And Lenin said, Communism is Soviet Power plus the Electrification…! Ciao, Alx

Hmmm, can two worlds combine? it seems so, here we have a 2000 years old idea nearby such a modern concept like electricity... like always, you're a great thinker:)

Reminds me somehow of the opening scene of the movie "La vita e` bella". Very nice composition, indeed. compliments -koushik

Jeff, you are back! Great shot, with of course a miriad of meanings. I see that you have resurrected yourself. Well done.

Heavenly and earthly power. Well done. Take care

the juxtaposition of symbol and banal reality make it for me...of course religion is important but you got to be wired....the light and clouds with a smiling lighted (-band go so well with the message...excuse my mischief spirit but that's what your image inspires me...

now you've done it. What an electrifying image. It does grab attention straight away because it makes a powerful statement and yet, however provocative it may be or not be to some above all it's a thoughtprovoking one while it's left to the viewer to interpret, as it should be. That is made even stronger by those clouds. While some may see black clouds others will see blue sky as is just as true of the overall colours. Those two arms that are perspectively uneven which is repeated in those poles. Terrific photo you've got here.

Quite a picture, Jeff. The angle was the first thing that grabbed me here - apparently spontaneous and random - and the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated elements. It looks like a picture your daughter might take You know...:

 

Gabi: "Oh, I'm going to take a picture of Jesus."

Adult viewing resulting photo: "Well, it's a very nice picture, Gabi, but it's too bad about those power lines and the poles. Next time you should make sure they're not in the picture. But Jesus is very clear and the sky is nice, too. Someday you might go to photo school. Would you like that, dear?"

 

The trick, I think, is to drop our heavy burden of suppositions and tired programming and to see the world with the fresh eyes of children again, at least for a little while. You're lucky to have a couple of rambunctious teachers living right under your roof. Funny, I'm reading the book Momo by Michael Ende right now and it relates how the well-meaning forces of society work so dilligently to leach away our curiousity and sense of magic as they "educate" us.

Jack, I think your comment is supurb.

Very different take on this from me. First of all, I love the shot, especially because of the shooting angle, which I find anything but spontaneous. To me, it's a big setup in order to make a statement, and it's a good setup and a good statement. Sure, a child could have taken this . . . by accident . . . you took it on purpose, not, I think, to be childlike but in fact to be very adult about a perspective on religion. It brings Jesus into the modern day and puts him in our very entangled and technologically evolved world. We may all read different things here, as it should be, but I can't help but think that you wanted us to react consciously and in an adult manner.I see no evidence of childhood innocence here. I think this is that grand gesture I mentioned in the last critique and that you suggested was coming. The perspective and drama of the clouds, the symbolism, the juxtaposition all make this grand and of great moment. No, I don't think random. I think very cleverly deliberate.