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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Four: Finding meaning in details > Bishop, Central Cemetery, Vienna, Austria, 2003
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17-APR-2003

Bishop, Central Cemetery, Vienna, Austria, 2003

A Bishop strides down the cemetery's main avenue. He has just left a funeral. His purple cape gradually recedes into the distance. For once I did not move in on my subject to capture key detail. This time I allowed the most important detail to diminish in size. In spite of his scale, the Bishop still dominates the picture because his cape contrasts to the green surroundings. Yet I also want him to be dwarfed by this vast burial ground. He seems to be in a hurry to move on with his life, while those he leaves in his wake are not going anywhere.

Canon PowerShot G2
1/250s f/4.0 at 21.0mm hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time17-Apr-2003 10:15:02
MakeCanon
ModelPowerShot G2
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length21 mm
Exposure Time1/250 sec
Aperturef/4
ISO Equivalent
Exposure Bias
White Balance (-1)
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Program
Focus Distance65.540 m

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Phil Douglis24-Jun-2005 19:43
The Bishop is the point of this image. He is only a small detail, yet his purple cloak draws the eye as if it was huge. This image is in this gallery because I want to demonstrate the effectiveness of small details upon meaning.
Guest 11-Jun-2005 19:20
Hi, sorry this image - i totally missed it. Since we are focusing on detail? why would it be in this gallery. Its a great photograph - color contrast, but its here because of the lack of detail???
Phil Douglis14-Dec-2004 21:39
Thanks, Clara, for bringing up the woman in the background here. I did not even see her when I made the image. (I was obviously transfixed by the Bishop's purple cape.) But when I noticed that detail in my picture, I welcomed it. It does indeed add important context, as you say, to the role of the Bishop. He is larger in scale and more colorful in dress and represents authority over everything here but death itself. Meanwhile that old lady is small and ordinary in comparison. As you so beautifully note, the Bishop's robes "put her in her place." I am to be duly chastised for not mentioning her in my explanation. And I am glad you gave me the chance to do so now.
Guest 14-Dec-2004 20:57
OK Phil, the old woman that walks the opposite direction is not mentioned by you, and it slightly disturbs me. I understand, you could not wait, or the bishop would be gone too. Besides, without the woman that would be another photo, different context and meanings. So, the woman walking against the bishop is an image of contrast between institutional power and ordinary society (which is paradoxically the source of that power but usually appears to rather serve it). The robes that the bishop wears so flamboyantly are an instrument of suggestion to impress the people and let them know their place, way below.
Phil Douglis06-Nov-2004 19:58
First of all, thank you for informing me that I have captured an image of Bishop, no less, in this image. I have changed the title and caption to reflect this information. Since you are Catholic and I am not, I will gladly accept your interpretation of his costume, Maureen, as well as the religious symbolism of these colors. There is an incongruity in someone rushing through a cemetery, so this shot could just as well been placed in Gallery Two, and I also agree that this image has a lot to do with color as well, so it could be displayed in Gallery Twelve, but put it in this gallery on detail, because it is a good example of how detail can express ideas even from a great distance. Glad you enjoyed this image as much as I enjoyed making it, Maureen.
Guest 06-Nov-2004 13:28
This is a wonderful photograph. Two basic colors jump out here - green and purple. My eyes go first to the purple cloak. The motion of his cloak indicates he's walking at a pretty fast clip. There's a certain incongruity with that, however, because this is a Bishop (he's wearing a miter on his head), and one would not think of someone at his level of authority as being rushed. Then there are the colors that remind me of Lent. Green is used in the church to signify new life, new beginnings, growth. Purple is used in the church to signify solemnity, royalty, dignity. So those are incongruous with his being rushed, as well. I also feel a slight sense of irony by the fact that he appears to be in such a hurry, and when we look further we see he's racing past a cemetary. Each time I see this shot, I think to myself that I would have put it in gallery twelve or gallery two, but it's a great photograph no matter where you place it, Phil.
Phil Douglis11-Oct-2003 02:55
Jane -- he brushed past me at a fast clip. I could almost call this shot "the quick and the dead" but that title has already been taken!

Phil
Guest 07-Oct-2003 14:49
He must feel so grand in the flowing purple. I see the stride.
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