photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Nine: Juxtaposition – compare and contrast for meaning > The long and the short of it, Madison Square Park, New York City, 2006
previous | next
02-AUG-2006

The long and the short of it, Madison Square Park, New York City, 2006

This is a dual juxtaposition, a study in leafy contrasts. I contrast green against brown, and long against short, stressing the thought and care that the New York City Parks Department brings to its gardening. As gardens go, this may be a relatively small planting, used to flank a statue of Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State William H. Seward at the spot where Broadway, Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street collide. It offers us contrasts in color, texture, size, height, and shape.

Leica D-Lux 2
1/60s f/2.8 at 6.3mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
Phil Douglis21-Aug-2006 23:19
Thanks for taking the longer view of this image, Jenene. You are right -- we should cherish our differences instead of persecuting and killing each other over them. The brown plant makes the green plant glow with more beauty than if it were not there. It does not try to punish or destroy the green plant for being different. Among nature's species, only man does that. Thank you for extending this juxtaposition into human relations.
JSWaters21-Aug-2006 19:53
"Green against brown, long against short", along with soft against hard, dull against glossy - how easily we could all coexist if we would only celebrate the differences that make us unique.
Jenene
Phil Douglis16-Aug-2006 21:01
Landscaping is very much like expressive photography, Ai Li. It must express a sense of aesthetic order. It is composed, not random in its organization. It relies on juxtaposition -- in this case color, texture, and scale, to establish its presence and express its beauty. You are right -- it is how man uses nature to express beauty. And yes -- the spots of pink add spice to the blending of plant forms here. It was up to me to select the forms I wanted to emphasize and then stress these juxtapositions through vantage point and frame.
AL16-Aug-2006 07:39
The art of landscaping. It's about contrasting and complementing, in the most natural way. And it's lovely to see spots of pink in the midst of the green and brown :-)
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment