Ernst Haas 'Droplets on an Autumn leaf' 1964
Nature provides its own lenses to bring veins of the leaf into closer view. The lenses are droplets of water that appeared on the leaves in the cool mist of September.
Ernst Haas 'Pine Needles in Ice' 1967
Autumn turns to Winter. The frozen bubbles captured and preserved before they reached the surface. Haas used his camera to peer closely at ordinary subjects to find beauty. Pine needles, positioned towards the right hand side of the frame, divide up the composition. Bubbles form circles of different sizes to contrast with the vertical needles. A photograph preserves a moment in time, frozen forever. Frost and ice also affects the process of time.
Paul Caponigro 'Frost Window No.2' 1961
A picture of frost crystals on a bedroom window makes a tapestry out of a mixture of pattern and texture. Positioning his view camera about 30cm from the glass, the photographer stopped the lens all the way down to f32 so as not to loose the dark trees in the background.
Marc Quinn 'Self ' 1991
This is a a self-portrait head made from the artists own frozen blood. He had to take the blood out in stages and he exhibits it in a refrigerator.
It has the same quality as a traditional death Mask - cast after the subject has passed away. It’s hard to believe that this face once made Europe quake. This is Napoleon's death mask, in the British Museum in London. His steely determination and spark of dynamism have dissolved. His eyes are sunken, his cheek hollow, his lips hang slightly ajar. It’s a fallen face, and the story it tells is of defeat and exile.
A scene from 'The Book of the Dead'
Many cultures and religions believe in an afterlife. This is a scene from an Egyptian Book of the Dead, a collection of spells designed to guide the deceased through the dangers of the underworld and ensure everlasting life. Egyptians lived 35 years on average. Their obsession with the afterlife was a response to that reality. And in their desire to perpetuate existence, they demonstrated their passion for the world. They loved life and wanted it to go on forever. This notion of a better life is connected to the idea of a Utopia.
A landscape wrapped in snow. A ring of monks dance in a circle, their black robes contrast with the white ground. Their figure seem like a collection of black triangles floating on a white back ground. The negative space in this image is the white, there is no detail there. The white gives the dark figures a platform to dance on. The pose is reminiscent of Matisse's 'The Dance' 1909. Both images seem simple yet show the sense of joy felt by people in the middle of a dance - their figures creating a circle.
In a similar way Matisse uses flat areas of negative space. A rich blue that suggests the sky and a speckled earthy green suggesting the ground.
This series of photographs are so iconic that were made into a beer advert. The advert used the high contrast black and white look to give their brand a sense of authenticity and tradition
