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Cecilia Lim | all galleries >> travel >> tunisia >> tunisia~ksar > The Scream of Ksar Gattoufa
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25 March 2003 Gattoufa

The Scream of Ksar Gattoufa

By the time we got to Gattoufa to see Ksar Jellidet And Ksar Gattoufa, I wasn't expecting anything very different or impressive, especially as the sun had gone down and it was getting dark. But I was surprised by what I saw. Most of the ksour I had seen were in bright daylight, sometimes against blue skies, and were more of an architecture peculiarity that gave me novel enjoyment. However, seeing a ksar in this light changed my perception completely about these places. Ksour now appeared very old and mysterious. This ksar was the first of the two in the village of Gattoufa which we visited, and also in better condition. It wasn't particulary interesting. But the dimming light and the red tinged sky of dusk created an ambience that made those repetitive dark doorways very mysterious... The third doorway from the bottom left looks almost like a screaming mouth. This, coupled with the fiery clouds remind me of the painting "The Scream" by Edvard Munch.


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Guest 05-Mar-2009 14:47
3lah ftha7touna yaftha7kom rabbi nchalla ok ana gabbari pure ok
Phil Douglis10-Jan-2005 07:03
It is abstraction with light that brings this image to life, Celia. You have shown us many such buildings in this gallery, but in broad daylight, they are usually without mystery. Here, the gathering gloom of dusk and the rich colors of an evening sky combine to transform an ancient structure in a shadowy matrix that excites the imagination. The windows become empty eye socket and gaping mouths, one of them even screaming, as you've noted. By showing less, you say more. By moving from literal description to abstract expression, you produce an image that triggers the imagination, and allows each viewer to create their own story out of what you have given them to work with.