Nature in Abstract
"All Art Is But Imitation of Nature" ... Lucius Annaeus Senaca
Our sense of beauty is both universal and personal. When we experience awe and wonder at the marvels of nature's beauty, we try to capture the scene in a way that best expresses what we saw and how we felt at the time. My passion for photography indeed began with my love for the natural world - an all encompassing and spectacular surrounding that would take your breath away; a serene and tranquil moment that soothes your soul; a light and crispy breeze that refreshes your mind; a single flower or a blade of grass that bathes in the sunlight, tickling your senses.
My photography is a quest for the beauty I see in nature. I am particularly drawn to the details and simple graphical elements of nature and enjoy expressing them in an abstract way. This folio is a collection of 20 images of mostly the calla lily and other plants that are indigenous to my home. Short of showing the subject in a faithful manner, I find that by capturing just a portion of the lily's tilting skathe with its smooth, silky curves or the minute sharp edge of a blade of grass as it lays itself harmoniously in the scene, I am being more truthful in bringing out the essence of the subject's beauty and attractiveness.
We all have a mental conception of what a flower or plant looks like, but by disengaging ourselves and see it apart from its material embodiment, we allow ourselves to form our own interpretations and meaning of the subject. Like all art forms, the ultimate purpose of a painting or a picture is to invoke the viewer's emotions and fantasy. If I am able to use my camera for this purpose and present my feelings of the natural world into an abstract art form, then the production of this folio "Nature in Abstract" has been a meaningful and worthwhile effort and experience.
