Early Morning at Moraine Lake

There are three contexts to be considered when taking a photograph and these are the internal context, external context, and the original context.

INTERNAL CONTEXT

The title of the photograph is Early Morning at Moraine Lake. It was taken by Oscar Gutierrez. There was no date posted there but it was last updated in the gallery yesterday, Sept. 22. The title of the photo suggests the whole idea of the image. From the title, you will know that it was taken early morning at Moraine Lake. True enough, the text that surrounds the photo influences what you think about it. If there was no title written on top of the photo, I couldn’t have guessed that it was taken early morning and that it was actually Moraine Lake.

EXTERNAL CONTEXT

This suggests the representational environment of the photo. I found this photograph at yahoo online photo galleries. There were many photos in that photo gallery but this photo was the one I liked best. The photographer has his explanation below the photograph but I had carefully distanced myself so as not to be influenced by his own comments.

ORIGINAL CONTEXT

The photographer had related how he had taken the photograph. He purchased a leveling head for his tripod so that he could take more panoramics; but, unfortunately the airlines lost his luggage with his tripod. He knew that the photo would make a great pano so he just hand-held the camera and panned across as he took a series of shots. I think he made a good alternative by just holding and panning the camera because it let him took the many views of fhe lake.

COLOR

There are some comments written by the author about the color of this photo. He said that the picture reflects the true color of the glacial lakes. Unfortunately, I was not there with him when he took the photo, so apparently, I did not know what the true color of the glacial lakes were. Judging by the capacity of my eyes, I can say that the water in the lake has successfully taken the color of the sky and it is evident in the photo. The color of the water is a clear blue one. I found it a very good photograph since it is so real in a sense that you wouldn’t believe it is actually real. The mountains that surround it also have amazing colors. Some parts of the mountains were light yellow that suggests how the sun rested on it. Other parts were dark yellow because of the shadows that rested on it. That is how I look to it now but we never know how it actually looks like if we have the real photo on our hands. In my part, I believe the photo is effective in showing the real view of the lake.

TEXTURE

The texture of the photo is pretty much like that of the wonderful paintings of nature I see. The way the photo was taken might have helped much on creating its texture. He hand-held the camera and panned it across as he took series of shots. The trees were perfectly taken around the lake as well as the mountains that surround it.

SHAPE

The object that takes the whole photo is the water of the lake. It shaped like a triangle in the photo because it followed the position of the mountains that surround it. The shape of the photo made it look real from my point of view. It is also effective in showing the real image of the lake.

kubLai Millan vis a vis Ernst Gombrich :)

the SEED…

One of Kublai’s sculptures in Kanluran is the SEED. I don’t know exactly why they call it that way. Anyway, what matter’s is how this sculpture illustrated the ideas of Ernst Gombrich.

When I surfed the internet for other sculptures made by Kublai, I found out that he has established something that is “tatak Kublai.” His sculptures have this trace of Mindanao culture in them. It is evident from how he made the large durian sculpture at the Davao airport and the giant, partly open clam shell with a family of eagles looking out at the viewer through the opening which is situated at Ponce Suites still in Davao.

Like his other sculptures, he made the SEED as something larger than life or life-size. I think this is what Gombrich meant when he was speaking about the artist’s style. It might be that Kublai wanted his sculptures to be life-sized so that they would look more energetic or appealing to the viewers. Kublai had already established his own style in making his sculptures.

The SEED apparently is not a faithful record of a person or of a place. This is what Gombrich meant when he said that “an artwork is not a faithful record of the truth but is a faithful record of the construction of the subject matter.” Kublai’s construction of the SEED reflects his purpose to give a more energetic, appealing and elegant view for the viewers. Style still rules even if the artist wants to reproduce nature truthfully.

After finishing Fine Arts, Kublai decided to devote his time in Mindanao where he grew up. He wanted to bring back to life the culture that has molded his soul. As what Gombrich said, “there is no seeing which is purely innocent & unaffected by the artist’s personal history, interests & visual vocabulary. ” Kublai’s selective preferences may be one of the reasons why he makes his sculptures “larger than life” with a touch of Mindanao culture.

One of the limits stated by Gombrich is that the “artist will be attracted by motifs which can be rendered in his idiom.” Kublai’s SEED is somehow taken from the certain aspects in the scene around him – a scene portraying Mindanao as a place rich with natural resources.

Lastly, “where there’s a way is there also a will.” Kublai’s purpose of making a certain “spark” for the people of Mindanao and to inspire young artists to love their craft is a clear manifestation that he enriches the ways and means his culture offers him. He sees a lot in his culture that’s why he continues to nurture what he can do to preserve it for the younger generations.