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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirteen: Bringing Fresh Visions to Tired Clichés > The Parthenon, Athens, Greece, 2005
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20-SEP-2005

The Parthenon, Athens, Greece, 2005

The essence of ancient Greece is the Parthenon -- the central structure on the Acropolis that looks down on the city. Dedicated to the goddess Athena in 438 B.C., the Parthenon is revered for its classical perfection and is one of the world's most famous buildings. It has been used as a church, a mosque and an arsenal. It has been bombed and looted. Yet it still survives as the emblem of both the city and a civilization. It has been photographed over and over until almost any image of it runs the risk of becoming a cliché. To express my own impression of the golden Parthenon in early morning light, I don’t try to “show the whole thing.” I abstract it by including only a small portion of it in my frame, yet can still establish its scale by matching its size to two small visitors. I also made sure to incongruously include an ever-present construction crane that continues working on restoring the glory that was ancient Greece.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
1/1000s f/5.6 at 49.7mm iso80 full exif

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Phil Douglis13-Aug-2007 18:21
Thanks, Azlin -- your confirmation is validated by your recent image athttp://www.pbase.com/image/83837629
What is two years to the Parthenon?
Azlin Ahmad13-Aug-2007 17:54
I confirm that 2 years later, the crane is still there, and the scaffolding has multiplied!
Phil Douglis13-Apr-2007 19:59
Thanks, Chris -- for me, thinking and composing are one and the same. My composition is always an echo of my thoughts about what I see and what I am trying to express.
Chris Sofopoulos13-Apr-2007 07:42
You know that I appreciate your way of thinking and composing Phil!
And I learn a lot from you.
Phil Douglis12-Apr-2007 18:14
Thanks, Chris -- the incongruous juxtaposition of the crane and Parthenon makes the difference here between post card and expression. I am glad you like this shot -- it is always gratifying when "locals" appreciate how I've interpreted their iconic sites.
Chris Sofopoulos12-Apr-2007 10:10
I fully agree with Ruth. I also like the way of thinking this composition Phil, juxtaposing Acropolis with the small paople sitting there.
Reality not postcard!
Phil Douglis04-Apr-2007 21:43
I am not in the Utopia business, Ruthie. Expressive travel photography sees the world for what it is, not for what the postcard would have it be. The crane adds a level of incongruity that, as you note, tells the story of ongoing reconstruction. The place was thronged with tourists as I made this image, but from my ground level vantage point, I get by with showing only two.
ruthemily04-Apr-2007 21:29
When I visited I could barely see the Acropolis for all the scaffolding (let alone the tourists: it was Good Friday, free entrance, and very busy). I like the way you have included the crane in your picture: it's reality, it's showing how things really are, not just how the picture perfect postcards would like us to believe. Reality is important, I can't see the point in documenting a world that doesn't actually exist. It's akin, in my opinion, to attempting to create Utopia through images - a nice idea, but not one that sits well with Miss Hanson.
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