Le photographe de la nature Kurt Lolo de Lolo Pics a fait une serie tres reussie cette derniere semaine sur l'idee de la reflection, auquel j'ai dedique mes articles : " Le Miroir Dechu " et " L'Oeil de Merlin ", et cet article est la continuation de celebrer cette belle serie de photos. La reflection est une idee aussi seduisante qu'elle est intellectuelle. L'idee de voir le monde a travers une perspective alternative est puissante. L'art de l'epoque de l'Age d'Or de la Renaissance a de beaux examples de peintures qui font honneur a l'idee envoutante de la reflection. La photo de Kurt Lolo auquel le photographe a donnee le titre " Sous le Dome " m'a bouleversee pour sa perfection. Elle montre le reflet de l'artiste dans une goutte d'eau. Le reflet est precieux dans les details du ciel bleu aux nuages blancs, du photographe au bord de l'eau prenant la photo, des couleurs vertes des arbres et l'herbe au bord de cette eau, tout en reflet minuscule et parfait dans la goutte d'eau qui s'ouvre grande ouverte comme l'oeil du ciel meme. Ceci en soi est deja un tour de force technique, mais ce qui est tres interessant c'est que cette photo est le jumeau de la peinture d'un peintre de l'Age d'Or de la renaissance, Pieter Claesz ( 1597 - 1660 ), ne en Antwerpen et mort a Haarlem aux Pays Bas. C'est frappant, cette correlation artistique entre la photo de Kurt Lolo et la peinture de Pieter Clasz de 1625, " Vanitas avec violon et bol en verre ", qui montre elle aussi la reflection diminutive de l'artiste dans une sphere claire, qui rend la reflection comme la perspective d'un oeil qui voit tout.
La renaissance etait connue pour la richesse des couleurs de ses peintures, des couleurs ou le jeu d'ombre et lumiere etait au centre de la composition, un trait que le grand maitre italien Leonardo da Vinci allait rendre fameux. Les peintures de Pieter Claesz ont cette qualite magnifique de richesse de couleurs et la peinture de 1625, avec le reflet du peintre en est un tres bel example. La photo de Kurt Lolo montre une intuition artistique impressionnante avec cette photo qui est une creation faite sous les auspices du maitre Pieter Claesz. Sa photo hypnotisante montre une perspective aux echos de la renaissance et son Age d'Or qu'a su creer avec une passion elegante le photographe qui possede l'esprit artistique exuberant et ouvert. Ceci dit, cette photo a aussi la signature du photographe, ce trait que possede Kurt Lolo comme aucun autre artiste visuel de rendre intime un moment dramatique, comme la reflection dans une goutte d'eau. Il y a la sensation de vertige, l'impression qu'on va tomber dans le trou grand de la perspective qu'ouvre la goutte d'eau. C'est bien intrigant. Il ne s'agit pas de la sensation visuelle de penser que c'est l'artiste qui va tomber, victime de sa propre reflection dans l'eau, c'est specifiquement l'impression brilliante dans son illusion optique, que le spectateur risque de tomber dans la reflection de l'eau, avec la reflection du photographe sain et sauf au bord de l'eau, tellement est hypnotisante cette sensation qu'on se trouvera au fond de l'eau, avec le dome du ciel tres en haut au - dessus de nous. C'est une illusion optique fantastique. C'est une photo qui est une harmonie arretante d'influences de la renaissance, et de techniques modernes, et qui fait que cette photo de Kurt Lolo est unique. Je m'imagine une belle conversation entre Pieter Claesz et Kurt Lolo, ou les deux artistes se mettraient d'accord que l'art reussi resiste a l'epreuve du temps, comme la peinture de Pieter Claesz en est preuve, et que la photo de Kurt Lolo va prouver surement.
Trudi Ralston
La recherche sur l'artiste Pieter Claesz et la peinture de l'Age d'Or de la renaissance, courtoisie de Wikipedia.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Un Mystere Transparent : La Goutte d'Eau de Kurt Lolo
Ca n'a pas de gout, pas de forme definie, et sait s'adapter aux temperatures, se transformant d'un liquide a une matier solide, ou a un gaz, on l'utilise tous les jours, et aucune vie sur terre peut survivre sans elle : L'eau, la source de la vie. Elle couvre 71 % de la surface de notre planete, avec les oceans qui contiennent 96.5 % de sa totalite. La calotte glaciaire antarctique contient 61 % de toute eau fraiche pour la terre. Ce sont des numeros qui font penser... Toute forme de vie terrestre depend de l'eau, c'est essentiel pour la respiration et la photosynthese. Les grandes civilisations ont toujours fleuri autour de rivieres : la Mesopotamie etait situee entre les rivieres du Tigre et de l'Euphrate; l'Egypte ancien et son empire dependait de la riviere Nil; la Rome ancienne avait la riviere Tibre.
Le corps humain contient entre 55% a 78% d'eau, dependant du poids de la personne, et il faut boire un a deux litres d'eau par jour pour eviter la dehydration. L'usage de l'eau est essentielle dans la culture humaine : l'agriculture, la transportation de cargaison, qui est une partie tres importante du commerce globale, et qui se concentre autour de rivieres, mers et oceans. Malgre cette apparente abondance de cette source vitale pour la survie quotidienne, 30% de la population sur terre souffre de stress physique a cause de manque d'eau suffisante, ce qui est le cas pour 50 pays. C'est estime que la vie de 1.4 million d'enfants morts de complications de la diarrhee chaque annee, pourrait etre sauvee si ces enfants avaient de l'eau propre a boire.
L'eau est essentielle dans la medicine, et est consideree une medicine essentielle, en fait, par l'Organisation Mondiale de la Sante, comme elle est necessaire pour les injections. L'eau est le moyen le plus efficace pour eteindre les incendies, comme elle est exempte de produits chimiques nuisibles d'autres methodes. L'eau est la source pour l'hydro electricite, pour cuisiner la nourriture, pour l'hygiene quotidienne, et est une source de recreation aussi, avec la natation, la mer, l'effet calmant de la beaute de chutes, de lacs.
Une note interessante : la plus part de l'eau dans l'univers est produit comme un sous - produit de la formation d'etoiles. En 2011, la science a observe un nuage geant de vapeur d'eau, qui contient 140 billion de fois plus de l'eau que tous les oceans sur terre combines, autour d'un quasar, ceci etant un objet astrale immense qui emet une quantite enorme d'energie, et qui est suppose de contenir des trous noirs massifs, et qui se trouve a 12 milliards annees lumiere de la terre. Selon les scientifiques, cela indique que l'eau a ete repandue a travers tout l'univers depuis son debut.
L'eau est une force d'une importance incontestable pour la vie, toute vie, sur terre. Le photographe de la nature Kurt Lolo de Lolo Pics a partage une magnifique photo d'une goutte d'eau, qu'il a titulee " La Goutte de la Vie ". Cette photo est comme une energique peinture faite a l'huile, ou une goutte d'eau en plein ciel domine la scene, entouree de couleurs vertes presque metalliques tres vibrantes, qui soulignent le pouvoir qu'a cette goutte d'eau, ce liquide fascinant qui commande la vie sur terre. Ce serait une peinture ou affiche superbe pour les organisations qui encouragent la conscience sur le danger dans lequel le monde se trouve en ce moment a cause de la pollution de nos oceans, de nos rivieres, de nos lacs, de l'eau potable necessaire pour survivre. La photo est une symphonie, un appel a l'action, il y a une urgence, une energie presque impatiente dans cette prise, qui veut attirer l'attention sur cette crise que souffre la condition de l'eau sur terre, et qui est beaucoup plus critique que la plupart des gens veulent admettre. Le photographe de la nature dans ce cas est un messenger, et sa photo est un appel a la conscience, envers une situation tres serieuse quant a la continuation de la vie sur terre et la possibilite tres reelle d'un futur invivable qui sera bien trop proche si on reste indifferent.
Trudi Ralston
L'information sur l'eau et son importance, courtoisie de Wikipedia.
Le corps humain contient entre 55% a 78% d'eau, dependant du poids de la personne, et il faut boire un a deux litres d'eau par jour pour eviter la dehydration. L'usage de l'eau est essentielle dans la culture humaine : l'agriculture, la transportation de cargaison, qui est une partie tres importante du commerce globale, et qui se concentre autour de rivieres, mers et oceans. Malgre cette apparente abondance de cette source vitale pour la survie quotidienne, 30% de la population sur terre souffre de stress physique a cause de manque d'eau suffisante, ce qui est le cas pour 50 pays. C'est estime que la vie de 1.4 million d'enfants morts de complications de la diarrhee chaque annee, pourrait etre sauvee si ces enfants avaient de l'eau propre a boire.
L'eau est essentielle dans la medicine, et est consideree une medicine essentielle, en fait, par l'Organisation Mondiale de la Sante, comme elle est necessaire pour les injections. L'eau est le moyen le plus efficace pour eteindre les incendies, comme elle est exempte de produits chimiques nuisibles d'autres methodes. L'eau est la source pour l'hydro electricite, pour cuisiner la nourriture, pour l'hygiene quotidienne, et est une source de recreation aussi, avec la natation, la mer, l'effet calmant de la beaute de chutes, de lacs.
Une note interessante : la plus part de l'eau dans l'univers est produit comme un sous - produit de la formation d'etoiles. En 2011, la science a observe un nuage geant de vapeur d'eau, qui contient 140 billion de fois plus de l'eau que tous les oceans sur terre combines, autour d'un quasar, ceci etant un objet astrale immense qui emet une quantite enorme d'energie, et qui est suppose de contenir des trous noirs massifs, et qui se trouve a 12 milliards annees lumiere de la terre. Selon les scientifiques, cela indique que l'eau a ete repandue a travers tout l'univers depuis son debut.
L'eau est une force d'une importance incontestable pour la vie, toute vie, sur terre. Le photographe de la nature Kurt Lolo de Lolo Pics a partage une magnifique photo d'une goutte d'eau, qu'il a titulee " La Goutte de la Vie ". Cette photo est comme une energique peinture faite a l'huile, ou une goutte d'eau en plein ciel domine la scene, entouree de couleurs vertes presque metalliques tres vibrantes, qui soulignent le pouvoir qu'a cette goutte d'eau, ce liquide fascinant qui commande la vie sur terre. Ce serait une peinture ou affiche superbe pour les organisations qui encouragent la conscience sur le danger dans lequel le monde se trouve en ce moment a cause de la pollution de nos oceans, de nos rivieres, de nos lacs, de l'eau potable necessaire pour survivre. La photo est une symphonie, un appel a l'action, il y a une urgence, une energie presque impatiente dans cette prise, qui veut attirer l'attention sur cette crise que souffre la condition de l'eau sur terre, et qui est beaucoup plus critique que la plupart des gens veulent admettre. Le photographe de la nature dans ce cas est un messenger, et sa photo est un appel a la conscience, envers une situation tres serieuse quant a la continuation de la vie sur terre et la possibilite tres reelle d'un futur invivable qui sera bien trop proche si on reste indifferent.
Trudi Ralston
L'information sur l'eau et son importance, courtoisie de Wikipedia.
Merlin's Eye : The Emerald Universe of Kurt Lolo
There is something irresistible about magic, about legends associated with sorcerers and wizards, especially when it comes to the wizard Merlin, who had a powerful influence when it came to the affairs of the legendary King Arthur and his court in the country of Whales. Merlin, whose Gaelic name is Myrddin, has his exploits narrated in Geoffrey of Monmouth's book of circa 1136. Geoffrey of Monmouth's book was popular, and was inspired by a character of the fifth century, Ambrosius Aurelianus, who was said to have lost his mind after witnessing the horrors of war, and who had taken refuge from civilization to become a wild man of the woods. The writer Nikolai Tolstoy ( 1935 ) who is now the head of the family of Leo Tolstoy ( 1828 - 1910 ), the Russian writer famous for his novels " War and Peace ", and " Anna Karenina ", has a hypothesis that Merlin was in fact a real historical person, a druid from Southern Scotland. The name of Merlin has a long standing cultural and historical fascination.
The 6th of February Kurt Lolo of Lolo Pics shared a photograph of the eye of the cat of his friend and nature photographer Chamy Tout Court, the founder of the group Merv, Montagne, Nature. The name of the cat is Merlin, so it is really cool the idea of the eye of the cat Merlin, since cats also have a long history of lore and mythology in human culture. The mystical attraction of cats goes back to ancient times, there is evidence of that in drawings of them found in prehistoric cave art. The ancient Egyptians worshipped cats, and had the cultus of Bastet, the goddess of love and fertility, who had the body of a woman and the head of a cat. Cats were protected and enjoyed freedom and respect, because every cat was seen as a representation of the goddess Bastet. In Central America, the jaguar was venerated as a god in the Olmec culture from 1500 B.C. to 400 B.C. and by the Mayan culture of 2000 B.C. to 1697 A.D. and were associated with war and power. The Aztec culture from 1300 A.D. to 1521 A.D. was also known for its cultus of the jaguar, and had an elite military unit of jaguar warriors, that wore uniforms made of the jaguar's fur and attributes, in order to inspire fear in their enemies. In Islam, the cat is venerated as a clean animal, and for having been a preferred animal to the prophet Muhammad. In the Near East, the tradition of protection and worship of cats goes back to the XIII th century in Syria, where the Egyptian sultan Baibars had a garden and veterinary hospital built for cats. In Norse mythology, Freya, the goddess of love and fertility, was associated with cats, and cats were under her protection, as they could be called upon to assist the goddess. In South and South - East Asia, Birmese cats were seen as the incarnations of the sacred Kittah, monks of an ancient religion and so they were protected. Siamese cats were considered the incarnations of dead souls, especially the souls of dead kings, and Siamese cats were invited to live in the royal palace and lived a life of luxury until their death. The European Middle Ages on the other hand, saw cats as reincarnations of evil, of the devil, and cats were persecuted with brutality and vengeance, by a decree by Pope Gregory IX, which led to the virtual elimination of cats, and it is thought now that the terrifying Black Plague, the Black Death of Europe that killed between 30 to 60 % of the then known world population of the XIV th century and reduced it from 450 million to between 350 and 375 million people, was so catastrophic because there were no cats to kill the rats. In Japan there is the legend of the Bakeneko cats that are supposed to have supernatural powers. The Bakeneko start out as regular cats, and after they reach the age of 12 or 13, they start walking upright like a person, and start speaking and understanding the language of humans. Cats have a rich and varied history in culture, and Kurt Lolo honours cats with his magnificent photograph of Merlin's eye.
Cats have eyes that are quite unique, as they have a third eyelid, that is called a nictating membrane, like birds and reptiles and certain mammals, among them cats. These nictating membranes are either transparent or translucent, and protect the animal's eye from debris and dryness, and can cover the eye. The photo of Kurt Lolo shows the eye of the cat Merlin as an emerald polished jewel, a pupil of a clear bright green, that is at the center like a dazzling gem, surrounded by the cat's green - yellow iris that gives the impression of a slightly troubled water. The pupil is like a drop of emerald that opens our view of the world, of which Kurt Lolo has said : " I see the universe, deep in space, deep in his eye. " As a matter of fact, the brilliant and shiny emerald pupil of Merlin seems to show the stars, the lights of galaxies deep in space. It is a very unique photo, I have seen hundreds of photographs of cats' eyes, of all colours of cats' eyes, and this photo of Kurt Lolo is striking in the beauty of its composition and colour. It is a magnificent example of the intellectual, visual and aesthetic idea of the macro cosmos that is reflected in the micro cosmos.
Trudi Ralston
The research on the importance of the legendary personage of Merlin, as well as the research on the importance and the history of the cat, courtesy of Wikipedia.
The 6th of February Kurt Lolo of Lolo Pics shared a photograph of the eye of the cat of his friend and nature photographer Chamy Tout Court, the founder of the group Merv, Montagne, Nature. The name of the cat is Merlin, so it is really cool the idea of the eye of the cat Merlin, since cats also have a long history of lore and mythology in human culture. The mystical attraction of cats goes back to ancient times, there is evidence of that in drawings of them found in prehistoric cave art. The ancient Egyptians worshipped cats, and had the cultus of Bastet, the goddess of love and fertility, who had the body of a woman and the head of a cat. Cats were protected and enjoyed freedom and respect, because every cat was seen as a representation of the goddess Bastet. In Central America, the jaguar was venerated as a god in the Olmec culture from 1500 B.C. to 400 B.C. and by the Mayan culture of 2000 B.C. to 1697 A.D. and were associated with war and power. The Aztec culture from 1300 A.D. to 1521 A.D. was also known for its cultus of the jaguar, and had an elite military unit of jaguar warriors, that wore uniforms made of the jaguar's fur and attributes, in order to inspire fear in their enemies. In Islam, the cat is venerated as a clean animal, and for having been a preferred animal to the prophet Muhammad. In the Near East, the tradition of protection and worship of cats goes back to the XIII th century in Syria, where the Egyptian sultan Baibars had a garden and veterinary hospital built for cats. In Norse mythology, Freya, the goddess of love and fertility, was associated with cats, and cats were under her protection, as they could be called upon to assist the goddess. In South and South - East Asia, Birmese cats were seen as the incarnations of the sacred Kittah, monks of an ancient religion and so they were protected. Siamese cats were considered the incarnations of dead souls, especially the souls of dead kings, and Siamese cats were invited to live in the royal palace and lived a life of luxury until their death. The European Middle Ages on the other hand, saw cats as reincarnations of evil, of the devil, and cats were persecuted with brutality and vengeance, by a decree by Pope Gregory IX, which led to the virtual elimination of cats, and it is thought now that the terrifying Black Plague, the Black Death of Europe that killed between 30 to 60 % of the then known world population of the XIV th century and reduced it from 450 million to between 350 and 375 million people, was so catastrophic because there were no cats to kill the rats. In Japan there is the legend of the Bakeneko cats that are supposed to have supernatural powers. The Bakeneko start out as regular cats, and after they reach the age of 12 or 13, they start walking upright like a person, and start speaking and understanding the language of humans. Cats have a rich and varied history in culture, and Kurt Lolo honours cats with his magnificent photograph of Merlin's eye.
Cats have eyes that are quite unique, as they have a third eyelid, that is called a nictating membrane, like birds and reptiles and certain mammals, among them cats. These nictating membranes are either transparent or translucent, and protect the animal's eye from debris and dryness, and can cover the eye. The photo of Kurt Lolo shows the eye of the cat Merlin as an emerald polished jewel, a pupil of a clear bright green, that is at the center like a dazzling gem, surrounded by the cat's green - yellow iris that gives the impression of a slightly troubled water. The pupil is like a drop of emerald that opens our view of the world, of which Kurt Lolo has said : " I see the universe, deep in space, deep in his eye. " As a matter of fact, the brilliant and shiny emerald pupil of Merlin seems to show the stars, the lights of galaxies deep in space. It is a very unique photo, I have seen hundreds of photographs of cats' eyes, of all colours of cats' eyes, and this photo of Kurt Lolo is striking in the beauty of its composition and colour. It is a magnificent example of the intellectual, visual and aesthetic idea of the macro cosmos that is reflected in the micro cosmos.
Trudi Ralston
The research on the importance of the legendary personage of Merlin, as well as the research on the importance and the history of the cat, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Saturday, February 9, 2019
A Greener Shade of Light : The Mantis on Mint of Kurt Lolo
In 1967, the British rock band, Procol Harum wrote a song that would become the most popular single in history, and sold over 10 million copies world wide. In 2004, the song was chosen by British Broadcasting as the most famous song of the last 70 years. The name of the song was " A Whiter Shade of Pale. " The song was revolutionary for the complexity of its classical composition, that paid homage to the German Baroque composer John Sebastian Bach ( 1685 - 1750 ), and for its lyrics with seductive mystical and sexual allusions. The title of the song is famous for the contradiction of the juxtaposition of incompatible words.
The photo of the 6th of February of Kurt Lolo of Lolo Pics in his series of Pose Nature, of a green mantis on a green branch of mint made me think of the song by Procol Harum. The photo, taken at Ait - Aissa, Aokas, shows a very charming small mantis in apparent meditation on a twig of mint in bloom. The dominating colour of the mantis and the mint is a bright, fresh green. It is like a magnificent watercolour painted by a skilled artist, all in one continuous brush stroke, confident, elegant, like an illustrated Chinese calligraphy. The mantis is a part of the twig of mint, and the twig of mint is an extension of the mantis. It is wonderful, how the nature photographer was able to create this visual harmony between the mantis and the mint, in colour, in movement. The tail of the mantis has the same horizontal lines as the leaves of the mint branch. Everything is a play of perfection in this composition that is a shade of greener light, that fascinates with the same boldness as the title " A Whiter Shade of Pale ". The mantis is a curious insect, that chooses its habitat of herbs and plants that are green if she is green, and plants that are dry and brown if she is brown or yellow as well. There are mantis, like the Malaysian mantis, that choose orchids of the same pink and yellow colour as they are themselves, and that are also the same shape as the mantis. There are also mantis, like the European mantis, Mantis religiosa, that can change colour by herself, from green to brown, or brown to green, and it is said that only baby mantis of all species can change colour by themselves, adult mantis, with the exception of just a few species, are too bright to be able to do so.
The mantis is a voracious predator, that eats frogs, birds, lizards, fish, and even smaller mantis of its own species. They are ambush hunters, and attack their prey with force and speed, with the help of their sharp raptorial legs. The Chinese species of mantis live longer if they can augment their energy by eating pollen. There are more than 2400 species of mantis, and the great majority of them are found in the tropics. The oldest fossils of mantis were found in Siberia and go back about 135 million years. Mantis have stereoscopic vision, and the capacity to rotate their heads to better locate their prey, which gives them the appearance of robots. Mantis are very patient, and are able to stay immobile for long periods of time, to deceive their prey. This together with their predilection to hide in vegetation that imitates their colour, makes them very efficient hunters. All species of mantis practice sexual cannibalism, and it is now believed that the reason the female mantis kill and eat their male partners is that the females have need of increased nutrition to produce and nourish their offspring. It has been observed that females that are well fed before breeding season rarely kill and eat their male partners. Somewhere, there has to be a lesson there for the world of humans...
The mantis has been a part of literature since antiquity. She is found in the literature of the ancient Chinese and ancient Greeks, and her presence persists today. The futurist writer Aldous Huxley ( 1894 - 1963 ) of who his most famous book is " Brave New World ", about a dystopian future, has a reference about a mantis in his 1962 book " Island ", when he speaks of death. The Dutch artist M.C . Escher ( 1898 - 1972 ) has a wood engraving titled, " Dream ", that is of a human size mantis standing over a sleeping bishop. The 1957 film " The Deadly Mantis " has as the antagonist a monstrous mantis. The mantis is also considered a cultural trope for the femme fatale, and is the theme of a 2008 film by Isabella Rossellini, " Green Porno ", on the life of a mantis, and it is the theme also of comics such as those by Cable, Guy and Rodd, LeLievre, T. McCracken and Mark Parisi.
There are two Chinese martial art movements and strategies based on the mantis. In South Africa, the Khoi and San cultures worship the mantis, and the ancient Greeks believed the mantis had supernatural powers, like being able to help lost travelers find their way, and the ancient Egyptians believed the mantis helped dead souls find their way to the underworld.
The charming photograph of Kurt Lolo of the green mantis enjoying the sun and hospitality of a green mint plant, is proof that the mantis continues to fascinate and enchant us, that this creature has a voodoo all her own, and possesses the seductive power perhaps a bit dubious, of the unsettling female charms.
Trudi Ralston
The research on the song of 1967 of Procol Harum " A Whiter Shade of Pale ", and the research on the fascinating world of the mantis, courtesy of Wikipedia.
The photo of the 6th of February of Kurt Lolo of Lolo Pics in his series of Pose Nature, of a green mantis on a green branch of mint made me think of the song by Procol Harum. The photo, taken at Ait - Aissa, Aokas, shows a very charming small mantis in apparent meditation on a twig of mint in bloom. The dominating colour of the mantis and the mint is a bright, fresh green. It is like a magnificent watercolour painted by a skilled artist, all in one continuous brush stroke, confident, elegant, like an illustrated Chinese calligraphy. The mantis is a part of the twig of mint, and the twig of mint is an extension of the mantis. It is wonderful, how the nature photographer was able to create this visual harmony between the mantis and the mint, in colour, in movement. The tail of the mantis has the same horizontal lines as the leaves of the mint branch. Everything is a play of perfection in this composition that is a shade of greener light, that fascinates with the same boldness as the title " A Whiter Shade of Pale ". The mantis is a curious insect, that chooses its habitat of herbs and plants that are green if she is green, and plants that are dry and brown if she is brown or yellow as well. There are mantis, like the Malaysian mantis, that choose orchids of the same pink and yellow colour as they are themselves, and that are also the same shape as the mantis. There are also mantis, like the European mantis, Mantis religiosa, that can change colour by herself, from green to brown, or brown to green, and it is said that only baby mantis of all species can change colour by themselves, adult mantis, with the exception of just a few species, are too bright to be able to do so.
The mantis is a voracious predator, that eats frogs, birds, lizards, fish, and even smaller mantis of its own species. They are ambush hunters, and attack their prey with force and speed, with the help of their sharp raptorial legs. The Chinese species of mantis live longer if they can augment their energy by eating pollen. There are more than 2400 species of mantis, and the great majority of them are found in the tropics. The oldest fossils of mantis were found in Siberia and go back about 135 million years. Mantis have stereoscopic vision, and the capacity to rotate their heads to better locate their prey, which gives them the appearance of robots. Mantis are very patient, and are able to stay immobile for long periods of time, to deceive their prey. This together with their predilection to hide in vegetation that imitates their colour, makes them very efficient hunters. All species of mantis practice sexual cannibalism, and it is now believed that the reason the female mantis kill and eat their male partners is that the females have need of increased nutrition to produce and nourish their offspring. It has been observed that females that are well fed before breeding season rarely kill and eat their male partners. Somewhere, there has to be a lesson there for the world of humans...
The mantis has been a part of literature since antiquity. She is found in the literature of the ancient Chinese and ancient Greeks, and her presence persists today. The futurist writer Aldous Huxley ( 1894 - 1963 ) of who his most famous book is " Brave New World ", about a dystopian future, has a reference about a mantis in his 1962 book " Island ", when he speaks of death. The Dutch artist M.C . Escher ( 1898 - 1972 ) has a wood engraving titled, " Dream ", that is of a human size mantis standing over a sleeping bishop. The 1957 film " The Deadly Mantis " has as the antagonist a monstrous mantis. The mantis is also considered a cultural trope for the femme fatale, and is the theme of a 2008 film by Isabella Rossellini, " Green Porno ", on the life of a mantis, and it is the theme also of comics such as those by Cable, Guy and Rodd, LeLievre, T. McCracken and Mark Parisi.
There are two Chinese martial art movements and strategies based on the mantis. In South Africa, the Khoi and San cultures worship the mantis, and the ancient Greeks believed the mantis had supernatural powers, like being able to help lost travelers find their way, and the ancient Egyptians believed the mantis helped dead souls find their way to the underworld.
The charming photograph of Kurt Lolo of the green mantis enjoying the sun and hospitality of a green mint plant, is proof that the mantis continues to fascinate and enchant us, that this creature has a voodoo all her own, and possesses the seductive power perhaps a bit dubious, of the unsettling female charms.
Trudi Ralston
The research on the song of 1967 of Procol Harum " A Whiter Shade of Pale ", and the research on the fascinating world of the mantis, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Calibrating Curve : Assekrem Sunrise, Part II by Kurt Lolo
On January 25th, nature photographer Kurt Lolo of Lolo Pics shared a superb sunrise of the Assekrem at Tamanrasset in the spellbinding Algerian desert. On February 3rd, the photographer shared a second sunrise at Tamanrasset, " Assekrem Sunrise, Part II. " This photo brings a close - up of the enchantment of the first sunrise, Part I, and has a different ambiance, an atmosphere of joy, on the part of the sun in this moment of the faithful ritual the sun gives us with its daily rising that allows all life on this earth, and the continuation of this life since billions of years, 4.5 billion years to be exact. In the photo, Part I, to which I also dedicated an article, it was the sun that lifts the spirits of the ancient rocks at the Assekrem. In the second photo, Part II, it is the ancient rocks that lift the spirit of the ecstatic sun, of which the rays give the impressions of melodious vibrations. The fiery light of the sunrise, with its orange - red colours that seem to melt the resistance of the sky itself, is so strong that it creates the marvelous illusion that the ancient volcanic rock formations that surround the sun are becoming almost transparent. The result of this optical illusion is beyond seductive. We are witness to a sacred event, intensified by the absence of light on the foreground which remains in darkness, where we are, silent, as a public in trance on the threshold of an enormous outdoor temple, the temple of nature, of which the sun is the ultimate mystery and power. This intensely beautiful scene of the sunrise at the Assekrem made me think. Was there ever a moment where we were free, as human beings? Was this moment real, when the earth and man respected each other, understood each other? The sunrise at the Assekrem with its colours of burning fire seems to say so. Faced with this magnificent theatre that celebrates the joy of the sun, this star that dances its dance of light with each new day, our lives are sacred, faced with this ball of fire, faced with this sun that warms the earth and its inhabitants since millions of years. The sun saw the beginning of life on this earth, and will witness its demise. Let us return to mystery, let us return to a time that passes according to the laws of nature, without haste, without impatience. Let us return to belonging, to the center, of our origin, of our sacred soul, let us return to respect for the breath and wisdom of the ancient spirits of the earth. The sun invites us to its sacred dance, to this chance to recalibrate our conscience, to adjust its curb, each morning. Time is not on our side this time. The sun knows it and waits, hopes, patiently. For the moment. The intensity of the wild fires with the burning of our trees and their essential oxygen, everywhere on earth each summer, indicate that the star may have reached the end of its patience, which we continue to abuse.
Trudi Ralston
Trudi Ralston
Friday, February 8, 2019
The Elegant Mantis of Kurt Lolo : A Photographic Study recalling an Ancient Tradition
Photography is a fascinating art, that can create a whole world, a whole drama, a whole story with just a well constructed, well conceived image. The series Nature Pose of nature photographer Kurt Lolo of Lolo Pics has such images. Today's photo seems modest, a small mantis resting on a dead spiny branch of a hawthorn. The photo has two colours : the ivory colour of the mantis and the dead branch, and the dark green colour of the background. The impression of an ancient Chinese sculpture in ivory is undeniable, including the colour of the background that brings to mind the colour of green jade. This is an exquisite photo of a delicate composition, elegant, intriguing for its refined quality. The composition of the photo of the mantis reveals itself as a magnificent piece of sculpture, perched on an equally finely sculpted branch with thorny spines that make an effective contrast to the mischievous small mantis. It is a theatrical scene, that recalls the intricate Chinese sculptures made of ivory, depicting entire scenes of animals, plants, and people.
The tradition of ivory sculpture is ancient, and the oldest example is a head of the goddess Venus, found at Brassempouy, France, in 1892, that dates from 25,000 B.C. Elephant ivory was considered the best for fine sculpture, which contributed to the danger of extinction this magnificent animal now faces in Asia and Africa, as the harvesting of their ivory continues to this day in spite of international laws prohibiting its commerce, and in spite of heroic and sincere efforts on the part of several courageous organizations for their protection, in cooperation with African and Asian countries. In North Africa, the harvesting of the elephant's ivory goes back to the exploits of the Roman empire, and from the 18th century onward, the majority of elephant ivory commerce was done in subsaharan Africa. The ivory of the ancient Venus of Brassempouy was made from the ivory of a mammoth, and in medieval Europe, ivory came from the tusk of a walrus, and in the 19th century, condemned prisoners were conscripted to dig up the ivory of ancient mammoths in Siberia and North America. The trade of walrus tusks was well established during Viking times, and during the Middle Ages, there was also the commerce of sperm whale teeth, and whale bones, in the Basque whaling industry, or from spontaneous beaching. The commerce in ivory is an enterprise of global proportions since antiquity, and one remarkable piece that has survived is a throne sculpted out of ivory in 550 A.D., for the bishop of Ravenna. There is an exquisite example of an ivory sculpture of queen Cleopatra, made in 1635, by the German sculptor Adam Lenckhardt ( 1610 - 1661 ), with the queen partially nude, with as title " Cleopatra with the serpent ", that puts light on the vulnerability of the queen's skin, by the unique attraction ivory has at its touch. Ivory is is a material that is very well suited for the geometric motifs of Muslim art, especially during the height of its prosperity from 750 to 1258 A.D. and used ivory form India and Africa.
The elegant and delicate photo of Kurt Lolo of the precious mantis resting on a thorny hawthorn branch has this intricacy of an ivory sculpture, it even has the colour of ivory, it is truly an exceptional photo in composition and beauty, a miniature worthy of the legendary pieces of this ancient art. The photo of nature photographer Kurt Lolo has the advantage and merit that it did not cost the life of an animal victimized by a trade that continues to cause misery for the benefit of ruthless people without scruples or a conscience.
Trudi Ralston
The research on the history of ivory and its commerce, courtesy of Wikipedia.
The tradition of ivory sculpture is ancient, and the oldest example is a head of the goddess Venus, found at Brassempouy, France, in 1892, that dates from 25,000 B.C. Elephant ivory was considered the best for fine sculpture, which contributed to the danger of extinction this magnificent animal now faces in Asia and Africa, as the harvesting of their ivory continues to this day in spite of international laws prohibiting its commerce, and in spite of heroic and sincere efforts on the part of several courageous organizations for their protection, in cooperation with African and Asian countries. In North Africa, the harvesting of the elephant's ivory goes back to the exploits of the Roman empire, and from the 18th century onward, the majority of elephant ivory commerce was done in subsaharan Africa. The ivory of the ancient Venus of Brassempouy was made from the ivory of a mammoth, and in medieval Europe, ivory came from the tusk of a walrus, and in the 19th century, condemned prisoners were conscripted to dig up the ivory of ancient mammoths in Siberia and North America. The trade of walrus tusks was well established during Viking times, and during the Middle Ages, there was also the commerce of sperm whale teeth, and whale bones, in the Basque whaling industry, or from spontaneous beaching. The commerce in ivory is an enterprise of global proportions since antiquity, and one remarkable piece that has survived is a throne sculpted out of ivory in 550 A.D., for the bishop of Ravenna. There is an exquisite example of an ivory sculpture of queen Cleopatra, made in 1635, by the German sculptor Adam Lenckhardt ( 1610 - 1661 ), with the queen partially nude, with as title " Cleopatra with the serpent ", that puts light on the vulnerability of the queen's skin, by the unique attraction ivory has at its touch. Ivory is is a material that is very well suited for the geometric motifs of Muslim art, especially during the height of its prosperity from 750 to 1258 A.D. and used ivory form India and Africa.
The elegant and delicate photo of Kurt Lolo of the precious mantis resting on a thorny hawthorn branch has this intricacy of an ivory sculpture, it even has the colour of ivory, it is truly an exceptional photo in composition and beauty, a miniature worthy of the legendary pieces of this ancient art. The photo of nature photographer Kurt Lolo has the advantage and merit that it did not cost the life of an animal victimized by a trade that continues to cause misery for the benefit of ruthless people without scruples or a conscience.
Trudi Ralston
The research on the history of ivory and its commerce, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Under the Sphinx's Spell : The Mysteries of the Tassili of Kurt Lolo
When you come face to face with images of an immense desert, like the desert of Algeria, that covers more than four fifths of the country that covers 2, 381, 741 km2, the idea of immensity and mystery go hand in hand. The ancient rock formations of the Tassili n' Ahaggar present themselves like the decor of a giant theatre, and the sense of mystery announces itself like the protagonist of a drama by Aeschylus. Nature photographer Kurt Lolo of Lolo Pics shared the continuation of his photos taken during his trip to the Algerian desert in December 2018. His photo of today, February 3rd 2019, is a mesmerizing example of the sense of mystery that the hypnotizing space of the desert is capable of creating, and that has seduced the imagination for thousands of years. The photo of Kurt Lolo presents a line - up of geometric rocks in the shape of pyramids, in and of itself already a captivating image. What adds to the exotic ambiance of the photo, is that the pyramidal shapes of the mysterious rocks give the impression of being barely disguised faces, as if the rocks contained the ancient spirits of the guardians of the history and secrets of the Tassili n' Ahaggar. This line -up of mysterious rocks give the impression of sphinx. The mythology of the sphinx is very intriguing, so is its definition that is indicative of its power : the sphinx is a creature that has the head of a human, and the body of a lion. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a human, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The sphinx is considered treacherous and merciless. In order to be allowed access to his temple, his territory, the sphinx gives a riddle to the novice who seeks permission for entrance to his sacred sites, and if the novice is unable to solve the enigma, the sphinx kills and eats the would be intruder. The mystery of the sphinx remains intact this way, and its savage power remains without witnesses. The idea of sphinx who guard the secrets of the immense desert of the Tassili merits meditation. The world right now has cities of monstrous proportions, with the biggest metropolises having populations with numbers difficult to embrace : Tokyo, 38 million inhabitants; New Delphi, 25 million inhabitants; Shanghai, 23 million inhabitants. The emptiness of the desert seems a very sane alternative. The sphinx of the desert know this and keep their secrets patiently until the moment these huge cities will become unlivable. The world will seek refuge in the mountains, they too the guardians of ancient secrets, and it will seek refuge in the desert, where the sphinx will ask for the answer to one of the most troubling enigmas of our time : " How will you heal the earth and its nature, of who you have poisoned its water, its plants, its air, its animals, how will you save the future of its children, who by the way, are your children?" It is in our best interest to start looking for the answer to this question, if not the entrance to the desert will be denied to us. The desert is very patient, has a lot of timeless beauty that its spirits share with generosity, like the immensity of its space. In the mythology of the desert of ancient Egypt, the goddess of the desert, Seth, has a lot of power, the power over storms, violence and chaos. To be allowed entry into the desert is in that sense a spiritual experience, the desert admits us, and changes us, purifies us, redirects us. The desert for those who know it often wakes up a passionate love towards it. It is not an entity that tolerates disrespect. This respect and love towards the desert is evident in the photography of Chamy Tout Court, and in the series of photos that Kurt Lolo shares of the Tassili n' Ahaggar, as his photograph today that finds us under the spell of the sphinx of the largest and most fabulous desert in the world.
Trudi Ralston
The research on the mythology of the sphinx and the desert, courtesy of Wikipedia.
Trudi Ralston
The research on the mythology of the sphinx and the desert, courtesy of Wikipedia.
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