Henri Rousseau's Dream

I like Henri Rousseau's body of works, particularly his depictions of exotic, mysterious dreams.  Each time I visited MoMA, I would stop by the hall where the works of this self-taught French artist are exhibited.  His painting, the Dream, completed in 1910, is my most favorite.  What inspired him and provided him with the stuff his Dream is made of is as mysterious as how the woman lying on the couch found herself in the middle of a jungle, surrounded by outlandish animals,plants, and figures. 

Before Henri Rousseau's The Dream (1910) at MoMA, New York, NY

街头小把戏

街头小把戏

Not a unique challenge

High contrast created by light often presents an exposure issue. Exposing to the highlight leads to the loss of details in the shadow, whereas exposing to the shadow bleaches the highlight. HDR, although an increasingly a popular solution, is not always feasible.  Such dilemma of course is not unique in photography.  Michael E. Tigar, a great litigator and dabbed "modern-day Clarence Darrow" describes a similar dilemma in his book, Nine Principles of Litigation and Life:

"In almost every trial, juror skepticism is your friend.  It is a two-way proposition.  You cannot invite the jurors to be skeptical about the other side without inviting critical examination of your own case.  We teach jurors to be skeptical by applying the principle of empowerment and its next friend, transparency."  Michael E. Tigar, Nine Principles of Litigation and Life (2009) at 132.

Luckily, the challenges here can be easily solved by means not available or permissible in litigation.

Times Square at Dusk

时代广场的微笑

今天收集到的一些时代广场的微笑：

美国的希望，就在于不同肤色、国籍及信仰的人都能来到这里，找到一个地方，发出由衷的笑。

骨灰级果粉

上班没有灵感的时候，我会去MoMA看看。下班没有灵感的时候，我会去Times Square转转。

骨灰级果粉

那儿总会见到一些笑脸及有趣的画面。

瓦西里擦鞋店

擦鞋这一行业在美国许多地方已经绝迹了，但在纽约仍然顽强地存在着。在Grand Central Terminal的Madison街及Park Avenue的出口可以见到一些永远的摊位，我周一回市时会在那儿坐一下。擦鞋地方在市内偶尔也有，但不常碰见。位于51街离百老汇不远这家店是我上班路上常路过的擦鞋店。里面只有两个座位，但古老得让我回到了三十年代（当然我并没有真正去过那个年代）。店名让我想起了苏俄领袖列宁的保镖－据一部很老的影片《列宁在十月》介绍，列宁的保镖就叫瓦西里。

纽约擦鞋摊也兼修鞋，不过我从不修鞋。擦鞋小费如果按比例算应该是服务行业最高的。擦一次鞋从前是三美元，自去年起涨到了四美元，但标准小费是一样的：二美元。武汉随地可见的擦鞋点记得好象一次是三块人民氏，没有小费。看来擦鞋的基本价差别不大。

去年有一场擦鞋店的外景图。但拍擦鞋比拍擦鞋店要难。主要是相机一露，所有的人，从顾客、服务人员到端相机的都不自在。不过我对从这家店外拍摄里面的情景蓄已久，上周四终于拍到了一张。

Sam Vasili  Custom Shoes and Boots, 51th Street, New York, NY

Ascending or Descending?

Maybe it doesn't matter.  They are just running in circles and are not going anywhere, higher or lower.

Ascending and Descending, Escher

短暂与永恒

有些生命是短暂的，但它们所献出的，却可以永恒。路边只能活一季花，也能在不经意间，成为不凋自然大美的一部分。

New Haven, CT

神秘的手

这是一个没有星光的夜晚。我在零时过后不久离开了仍是灯火辉煌，但已逐渐安静下来的曼哈顿。约11点55分，在离法庭截止期五分钟不到的样子，所有法务文书通过互联网进入了邻州的新泽西联邦法庭系统。至此，本案的结果完全移交给了那只司掌万物的神秘的手。

                 

我让司机先在公寓前停了一下，上楼取了几件衣服及一架相机，就沿着岛的西岸往北而行。新泽西此时已大部沉在黑暗中了。法官大人想必已睡了。希望他在梦中能获得一些智慧或天启。

                 

车出城不久就驶进了完全的黑暗。我只能看见车灯照到的地方。我不知道前方的黑暗着有什么，更不知那只无形的手，会写出什么结果来。

Daniel Interpreting the Writing on the Wall (Daniel 5;5-25)

Symbols of Vanitas

What are the expressive elements in art of the emptiness and ephemeralness of life?  Repentant Magdalene, by French artist Georges de la Tour (1593-1652), has many such elements in one place.  In this strongly constructed painting, glistening light and deep darkness compare and contrast each other.  The contrast creates absolute silence.  In the foreground sits the repentant sinner in a monumental and clam manner, mediating on the transitory nature of life, as the symbols of vanitas--the skull, the mirror, the candle, and the jewelry-represent. 

Repentant Magdalene ca. 1635-40, oil on canvas, 134x92 cm

What is interesting is that Gustave Dore (1832-1883), in an illustration depicting the same biblical tale, chose to use only one symbol, the skull.  It is questionable whether Dore had even seen de la Tour's earlier work, because de la Tour was forgotten for centuries and it was not until the 20th century that his works were rediscovered and became famous.

Mary Magdalene Repentant, ca. 1865, Gustave Dore

Certain commonalities of the two great pieces, created centuries apart, are simply amazing.  This is particularly so since the Book of Luke (relevant portion excerpted below), from which the story originates, mentions nothing about most of the depicted details.  

" ³⁷And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,

 ³⁸And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

 ³⁹Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

 ⁴⁰And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.

 ⁴¹There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.

 ⁴²And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?

 ⁴³Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

 ⁴⁴And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.

 ⁴⁵Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.

 ⁴⁶My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.

 ⁴⁷Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

 ⁴⁸And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven." (KJV Luke 7:37-48)

It must have taken a lot to complete the artistic transformation from the scripture to the later derivative art works.  What remains puzzling to me is why both artists chose to focus on the moments, either before or after her meeting with Jesus, but not during. 

证人

"...we will bear witness against thee..." (Daniel 13/The History of Susanna 21)

Susanna的故事作为艺术题材自十四世纪起就开始流行。这个故事在天主教版圣经中有记载。见Book of Daniel, 第十三章 （新教版的Book of Daniel只有十二章）。这章书记载了在旧约时期做伪证的两个长者及戳穿伪证辞的方式――cross-examination。这个古老的方法至今仍在美国法庭中广泛使用。它的有效性，显然不象经文中记载的那样有戏剧性。不幸的，目前人类似乎还没有找到比它更便利、有效的手段。对于能逃脱作伪证后果的人，我也只能相信或希望在冥冥之中有一个更高的机制来惩罚他们了。

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington DC (Photographed in April 2011)

Miracles

A miracle is often thought to be an act or event that defies physical or biological laws.  There are many accounts of miracles in the Bible--from exorcisms, cures of the incurable, to nature wonders, most notably the resurrection.  In modern times, however, miracles often take the form that is on its face not quite as spectacular as that of the ones performed in the Biblical times.  Nevertheless, such miracles never cease to amaze and inspire me.

I am extremely fortunate to have not only witnessed, but also experienced, a few modern day miracles.  More than a decade ago, I provided my account of such an event in a comedy style.  I also attributed to divine interventions my mother’s recovery from a rare form of cancer with a high mortality in 2008, and her survival from a subsequent, albeit unrelated, attack of DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation, also known as “Death Is Coming” to physicians), at least in partial response to Psalm 23. 

Recently, two miracles happened in a very short succession to two members of the same local church.  The two events share an incredible theme of defying the immigration law.  Both cases filed by these two immigration visa petitioners have a long, complex history, punctuated by repeated rejections by immigration officials.  Both cases were considered as hopeless by the immigration attorneys of the record.   In one case, the petitioner had to return to the place of origin and stayed there for months.  In another case, the petitioner had already started the wrapping-up process, including putting his house on sale and booking return flight tickets, after having lost almost all appeals with no hope in sight.  Somehow, against all odds, both petitions were eventually approved, much to the amazement of all familiar with the cases.

Miracles do happen.  We just need to have our eyes and minds ready for them.

二分与三分

歌川広重（Utagawa Hiroshige）的《江户百景》（Meisho Edo Hyakkei）的许多幅画体现了东方的构图理念。其中第十幅《神田明神曙之景》（Kanda Myojin akebono no kei）（1857）中的分割手法是许多现在摄影中仍然采用的。

神田明神曙之景 （1857） 歌川広重

在这幅浮世绘中，画片中间的一颗树把画片一分为二，左边同右边图中的场景既独立（右边的两个观景客是一组，显然她们不认识左边的观景客）又有联系（大家同在眺望日出），彼此互补为一整体。类似的构图还有第52幅《赤板桐[火][田]》(Akasaka Kiribatake,The Paulownia Garden at Akasaka, 1856), 第55幅《Tsukudajima Sumiyoshi NoMaturi 及 The Sumiyoshi Festival at Tsukudajima,1857)等。非中分的二分构图有第104幅《小梅堤》(Koumetsutsumi ,Koume Embankment, 1857)等。

在西方艺术中， 也有类似手法， 不过西洋图常用三分（或所谓黄金分割）构图，而不是二分。印象比较深刻的是Fra Algelico的Annunciation，反映天使向玛丽亚报孕的著名典故。

Annunciation (1433), Fra Angelico

 这幅壁图被两根柱子巧妙地分成了三部分。最右边是玛丽亚，她上方的鸽子象征着圣灵；中间是天使（右边的柱顶是上帝的塑像）；最左边是背景（远处是天使驱赶亚当及夏娃出伊甸园的场景）。新、旧约圣经，人的堕落及耶稣的诞生，在画中都得以反映并有机地联结起来。

新iPad推出

新iPad今天在世界多国同时上市。今天中午在纽约窥见了果粉特别是华人狂购的一斑。

More iPad frenzy photos can be viewed here.

报春

古诗里有许多报春的描述：从啄春泥的新燕，到润如酥的天街小雨；从知水暖的游鸭，到满皇都的烟柳。而在纽约城里，报春的却是不幸的流浪人。因为天气转暖，他们可以走出不知名的地下，在街头露宿了。对他们而言，春天不是浪漫的开始，而是流浪的开始。季节可以迁移，但他们的生活或许永远不会有变化。他们无神的双目眼中似乎永远写着两个字：“绝望。“

纽约流浪客

摩西与苏武

摩西与苏武由于不同的原因，都曾牧过羊。

摩西虽为埃及皇室成员，却因仗义手弑一名埃及人而犯罪。他企图埋尸灭迹未遂，受法老通辑，于是过红海，在一个叫Midian的地方成家。他在那里过了四十年。他是如何渡过四十年漫长的放逐生活的？ 《旧约》 里只有几个字："And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died..." (Exodus 2:23)

苏武为大汉使臣，出使匈奴。被单于所拘。坚贞不降，放逐北海牧羊。在那里渡过了十九年。他是如何打发那一段冰天雪地的穷厄时光的？汉书说：“武留匈奴凡十九岁，始以强壮出，及还，须发尽白。”《汉书·苏武传》

人之一生，只在一呼一息之间。

Cheese!!

春夜里的微笑

时代广场的微笑通常是“散装”的。如此整齐的大型微笑实属罕见。高清版在此。

Eleanor Callahan: A photographer’s muse (CNN)

 The following story and photographs appeared on CNN today.  More can be read or viewed here.

Eleanor Callahan, the wife and muse of renowned American photographer Harry Callahan, passed away February 28 at the age of 95. Her husband, Harry, died in 1999.

Photographer Chip Simone met the couple as a student of Harry Callahan’s at the Rhode Island School of Design in the mid-1960s.

Most of what the world knows of Eleanor Callahan is gleaned through her husband’s photographs. “In all the pictures of Eleanor that I’ve seen, there are only a couple that I think are actual portraits of her,” Simone said.
“In Harry’s photographs, she’s not a specific person. She’s sort of the ‘every woman....Eleanor was quite convenient for Harry, and Harry was personally very shy,” Simone said.

On the street, Harry Callahan often took photographs of women, but at a distance. The close relationship between Harry and Eleanor made it possible for him to shoot more intimate photographs, often nudes. Simone said it was a “real working relationship” and “she was never fearful that she would be embarrassed by pictures of her in the nude.” Harry was incapable of doing intimate pictures of anybody except her, he said.
Eleanor worked professionally and supported Harry financially until late in his career, when his photographs started to command a serious price tag. Eleanor’s support of Harry enabled him to create some of the most important photographs of the middle 20th century.

“As photography was Harry Callahan’s life work, Harry was Eleanor’s life work,” he said. “It’s a love story.”

– Matthew Rond, CNN

人生之适，亦如是耳

在新泽西酒店里“闭关”近十天，费尽心机，穷经皓首地办了一件当事人自以为很大的事体。回到纽约城，众生芸芸，似乎那事从来不曾发生过。这让我想起了我很喜欢的“黄粱梦”故事。

“开成七年，有卢生名英，字萃之。於邯郸逆旅，遇道者吕翁，生言下甚自叹困穷，翁乃取囊中枕授之。曰：‘子枕吾此枕，当令子荣显适意！’时主人方蒸黍，生俛首就之，梦入枕中，遂至其家，数月，娶清河崔氏女为妻，女容甚丽，生资愈厚，生大悦！於是旋举进士，累官舍人，迁节度使，大破戎虏，为相十余年，子五人皆仕宦，孙十余人，其姻媾皆天下望族，年逾八十而卒。及醒，蒸黍尚未熟。怪曰：‘岂其梦耶？’翁笑曰：‘人生之适，亦如是耳！’生抚然良久，稽首拜谢而去。” 唐《枕中记》

我觉得这是中国经典中最有大智慧的故事之一， 是《传道书》“空之又空，一切都是空”的故事表叙。我们常不自觉地以“有涯”之生，来追逐庄子所告诫的“无涯”目标。结局即使是喜也是悲。

The Cloisters Museum, New York, NY

在20年前离开武汉时，街上流行是《封神榜》主题歌。一个轮回之后再返回国土时，正在流行《老鼠爱大米》。两首歌之间，12年已经过去了，一切不过象做了场梦。

不过也常惊叹人生之妙，常在造梦与寻梦。如果梦中有神奇，又何必一定要醒来呢？

浮生如梦

我喜欢独坐书房里，静听钟摆往复的走动声。它是时间轻行的脚步，万物荣枯的伴奏，人生无常的叹息。在时钟细微的声音里，人生分割成许多份细小的瞬间，我喜欢慢慢咀嚼这一份份精巧的生命礼品。它们绵绵无尽，来自永恒又归于永恒。这些礼物，让我们品到人生短暂存在的丰盛及珍贵。

过了一道门

庭审终于结束。今天只持续了三个半小时，虽然有意想不到的事情，却没有什么戏剧性。对手律师的阴险，证人狡诈，是对黑暗人性的注脚。好在六尘之中，亦有日出月升的美景。重返闹市，观众生百相，复拾人生一趣。

再见，普林斯顿

Village Boulevard, Forrestal Village, New Jersey

 

 

Village Boulevard, Forrestal Village, New Jersey

虽然庭审因故多出了一天，要到明天中午才结束。但想想下午就可以回到纽约了，仍然很高兴。今天早晨在酒店周围转了十来分钟。这里原是很安静的，几乎没有什么行人。

必勝祈願

Hissho

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

自上周末起就被“隐居”新泽西的一家旅馆为开庭作准备。周四、周五开始了庭审的一部分。另一部分在下周一、二进行。开庭期间摄影显然是不可能的事情。一是没时间，二是摄影器材无法进入法庭，三是没有多少心情。不过还是尽量争取抽空用手机照几张。有道是”人生似幻化，终当归虚无”，在眼底烟云过尽时，在是非成败皆空之后，剩下值得回味的或许就只是几张旧照片了。