Why do I only take pictures of some of the rags I encounter and not others?
It is the first impressions that count. If I see a shape in the rags or form a pattern that pleases the eye in front of my eyes (if we can even talk about pleasure in viewing dirty clouts), I take a picture. Who was the first human who advised other artists to look for similar-to-humans shapes in stains, clouds, or moisture? It was Leonardo da Vinci. Indeed, I believe that we should always try to learn from the best. While strolling through Warsaw’s streets, I often encounter rags. They lie on the ground, left and unnoticed by practically anyone.
The truth is that I did not see many (if any!) photographs of dirty, old clothes taken by other visual artists.
I take pictures of some of them because sometimes I notice a shape similar to something familiar. It can be, for example, a part of the human body, face, or bizarre creature. Still, I do not waste too much precious time searching for a similar pattern in rags. Like I wrote at the beginning of this post, it is the first visual impression that counts. That’s why I do not take photos of all rags I spot. Still, I believe that rags are truly precious objects to photograph. I am not sure, but maybe lying, abandoned rags are a sign of our modern times, when ecological consciousness grows.
Still, there are many things to do to save the planet, with cleaning all rags lying on the ground at the forefront. Does it mean that I look for familiar shapes only in rags? No. In one of my sets of pictures, named “Ostensible Abstraction,” you can find, my Dear Friend, examples of how I can find unusual things in, e.g., road signs, columns, trees, stains, and walls.
PS
I wrote this text on the 1st of May, 2021.
