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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Eight: Using symbols and metaphors to express meaning > St. Vincent de Paul, Petaluma, California, 2007
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09-JUN-2007

St. Vincent de Paul, Petaluma, California, 2007

An early worshipper approaches the door of this cathedral, which was built in this suburban city in the 1920's. I look at both ends of life itself here. The shutter stops the fountain in full flow – to me, it seems to be a symbolic fountain of youth, frozen at its peak of vigor. I contrast that instant to the movement of the elderly woman slowly pulling herself up the stairs. My shutter finds her as she is about to enter the mysterious darkness that waits within those dark doors.

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Phil Douglis02-Jul-2007 19:58
Thanks, Tim, for linking the fountain and woman through a metaphor of sustenance. This is not the first time I've found a similar metaphor on the steps of a church. As you may recall, when we were shooting together in San Miguel, Mexico, I found another elderly woman haltingly entering a church and made this image that speaks of strength based on faith:
http://www.pbase.com/image/52106551
Tim May02-Jul-2007 18:34
I really like this image - for me, it captures the ongoing flow of faith. The women is, hopefully, sustained by faith as the body is sustained by a flow of water.
Phil Douglis25-Jun-2007 17:54
Well put, Sam. This image is all about belief and faith. That is why I built it around the fountain as a symbol of eternal life. She is not young in body, but one gets the feeling her spirit will be nourished and refreshed here.
Sam Bliss25-Jun-2007 17:37
It is an act of faith to go into the 'darkness' believing that a fountain of a different sort waits beyond. Because of the prominence of the fountain, I see the image inviting people in to be refreshed; to remember what is important.
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