| | Xylabion
 | It's interesting to note that following the vandalism of Michelangelo's Pieta in 1972...
http://images34.fotki.com/v1147/photos/1/1312126/6036239/MichelangeloPieta-vi.jpg
...the sheet of bullet-proof 'indestructible' glass used to later shield this astonishing and serenely beautiful piece of sculpture from further vandalism is 3.8 cm (a whole 1 1/2 inches) thinner than the ‘bomb-proof’ glass used to protect the hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of grossly over-the-top 'art' trinkets displayed in vulgar spectacle downstairs in the Vatican Treasury. It sickens me to know that as such highly respected 'patrons' of the fine arts, the Rothschilds, self-appointed "guardians" of the Vatican wealth, have their fine art conservational priorities hopelessly misplaced. Apparently the true 'value', sadly, of ‘great’ art, lies not in the eye or the soul, but in the pocket!
With strong interests and abilities in both the arts and the sciences, I find myself combining and drawing inspiration from wherever I look, whatever I sense and however I explore and discover. Nothing surprises me, nothing disturbs me, frequently things excite me but all too frequently too much eludes me. Life really is way too short, and I'm therefore forever hungry. Fotki, with its wealth of original and inspiring creativity, provides much food for thought...
In the 21st Century, we are what we pixellate. No longer a digital revolution, and by no means the be-all and end-all for the creative mind, but an interesting evolutionary leap forward in human experience and creativity - and good fun, too!
I tend not to over-think about the long-term implications of such technology, but I constantly question - not only the 'why' but possibly and more importantly the 'how'. I like to dig, and I like to be able to see beyond the obvious. I enjoy the satisfaction of finding reason and perhaps equally so, purpose. Nothing - absolutely nothing - happens without reason, nor without purpose.
Overtly critical and sometimes down-right controversial in my view of the arts, I'll quite happily rip apart with brutality over-rated rubbish, but equally so, I'll praise to the highest degree the visual captivation and excellence of plain and simple brilliant talent. All the grey areas in between prove interesting, of course...
Andy Warhol modelled himself on J. Robert Oppenheimer and the fallout is still falling, but from sweet destruction, comes rebirth. Who at the end of the day created the most visually stunning spectacle? Beauty to me doesn't necessarily have to be beautiful - similarly, the infinitely dull doesn't necessarily have to be unexciting. Iconism, after all, is merely altered perception. Take John Simon Ritchie for example, or rather, don't. :-)
Photography to me is a pleasurable interest, like so many others. The simple memories of experience in the mind alone can just never quite stand the tests of time, and to me, the tangible has to *feel* real if it's to remain so. For this reason, the captured image is timeless, a recorded moment of a life or lives. One can look back and say: 'I did that', and *still* feel it!
I'm lucky to live amongst some of the finest natural scenery in the UK, with both the English Lake District and the high Yorkshire Dales only a short hop away. Majestically but quietly sitting between these two areas of outstanding natural beauty, lies my own 'back garden' - the Howgill Fells. I feel and breath the mountain scenery on a daily basis, and a large part of my time on Fotki will be spent creating an on-going photographic archive capturing and celebrating the mood of all this superb countryside and it's associated life - not simply the 'wildlife' (that's always difficult) but in very real terms, the *life* of living here!
For now I'll use my gloriously user-friendly 7.1mpx Canon PowerShot G6. This meets all my present needs both professionally and leisurely, or at least it will do until someone develops a digital hand-held that skilfully carves solid marble! I dare say that some time in the not-too-distant future, I'll upgrade - such is the galloping speed of technology and the ever-growing wealth of discovery!
Beauty is not only in the eye of the beholder, nor simply in the heart or the mind. It's also in the loins. ;-)
| | General Information | | Profile Type: | Personal | | Gender: |  Male | | Age: | 50 | | I'm here for: | Photo sharing, Serious relationships, Friends, Networking | | Email: | Xylabion@fotki.com | | My Cities | | Hometown: |  United Kingdom, England | | Background & Lifestyle | | Marital status: | Single | | Sexual orientation: | Straight | | Origin: | Cumbria, UK, and sometimes somewhere darker. ;-) | | Interests & Personality | | Interests: | This and that - the alternatively eclectic and the life aesthetic. Natural history and the environment. Prehistory. Social history. The visual and other sensory arts. The surreal and the reality. | | Music: | Always, all ways. | | Movies: | Infinitely rewarding, the more challenging, the better. | | Friends: | FOTOFILE, v i v i a n e =(;)-O =¦, © voodooeyez, Gudrun, rich bruton (a decent exposure.com), Lady in Black's World of Mystery, milika, Eestipagan, Lynne294, FireLillyCreations, CrystalEyes, Jo, Woodwizard | |
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