“Once upon a time there was a pretty fly. He had a pretty wife, this pretty fly. But one day she flew away, flew away. She had two pretty children, but one night these two pretty children flew away, flew away, into the sky, into the moon.”

– Night of the Hunter, 1955

 

A sense of expectation pervades William Gedney’s photographs of houses at night in his native America. As with George Ault’s paintings, our eyes become accustomed to the light so that in the slightly abstracted stillness and quiet the vision seems sharper, clearer and more intense.

Night, after all, is when the magic happens, when the monsters and spirits awaken, and the mind wonders from the rational and sane towards the anxious and dreaming. At night you begin to imagine and see with the mind’s eye. So night, a time when we see less, is seemingly so rich and fizzing with life in Gedney’s pictures.

But what are we looking at? Unlike Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, we’re not looking in at the light, in the painter’s case that collection of individuals inside a cafe at night. No light burns inside Gedney’s houses to illuminate the scene. We see no hint of what’s inside. So why is he there? He’s not a voyeur. He’s surely not casing the joint.

It might about the house itself, the architecture of America at night. Houses and rooms are the stuff of dreams, of Freudian symbolism. The home is our haven, wherein we hide and seek ourselves behind closed doors in different rooms. So we look on and wonder. There’s mystery and a touch of scariness in these photographs, in which the big American cars add a dash of haunting.

Gedney (October 29, 1932 – June 23, 1989) died in 1989, aged 56, in New York City and was buried in Greenville, New York, near his childhood home. He left his photographs and writings to his lifelong friend Lee Friedlander.

Via:  William Gedney Collection at Duke University’s David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

The post William Gedney: Watching America At Night (1960-1973) appeared first on Flashbak.

Azerbaijan-based artist Cesar Mammadov uses his distinctive, photo-realistic approach to painting to capture the essence of ordinary moments and celebrate life's simple joys, often through the theme of water.

Hailed as one of the most prominent young brush masters to emerge from Azerbaijan, Cesar Mammadov has made a name for himself by creating paintings that capture the region's rich culture with a specificity that invites viewers from all over the world to enjoy and relate to them.

Born in 1988 in Baku, Cesar began his artistic journey at an early age. Fuelled by a passion for colours and shapes, Cesar followed in the footsteps of his father, the renowned Azerbaijani painter Sakit Mammadov. Sakit would be pivotal in shaping his artistic beliefs and encouraging him to express himself.

Eventually, Cesar studied at the Academy of Arts of Azerbaijan. This training honed his distinctive approach to capturing the essence of ordinary moments and led him to be showcased not only in Azerbaijan but on international platforms.

The most impressive part of Cesar's technique is his masterful control of lines, light and perspective. This allows him to faithfully recreate everything from Parisian rooftops to the rustic charm of Venice and the vibrant facades of Bilbao.

Uniting all of these images together, though, is the recurring motif of water. This symbolises the source of life in Cesar's paintings, and it provides a serene backdrop in his depictions of canals, ports, beaches, and rainfall.

"Optimism emanates from my paintings, conveyed through bold brushstrokes and saturated colours celebrating humanity's diversity and harmony," Cesar says in an artist's statement. "Encouraging viewers to find poetry in everyday moments, my art unveils the beauty of life's simple joys, inviting us to pause and appreciate the richness of the world."

This appreciation can be found in the unlikeliest of places, with fishermen on a concrete dock or a bustling riverbed providing a window into the miraculous every day. "My realism authentically portrays these fleeting moments, immortalising them on canvas to tell stories that might otherwise go unnoticed."

Cesar says his hyper-realistic approach to painting is akin to a camera lens. His work transforms canvases into portholes that look out onto tranquility, where rain and the cycles of nature come together spiritually to provide universal meaning.

"My saturated interpretations radiate confidence and optimism, inviting viewers to connect with scenes, no matter the location," he concludes. "Through highlighting the ordinary, my art serves as a transcendent intermission in our fast-paced world, reminding us that poetry is found everywhere."

Ryan Stalker, “Ocean Drifter.” British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 and Winner of Coast & Marine category. Goose barnacles (Thoracica), Portland, Dorset, England. All images © the photographers and British Wildlife Photographer of the Year, shared with permission

From urban scavengers to dramatic standoffs to microscopic molds, the winning images of the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024 exhibit the beauty, spectacle, and fragile balance of the isles’ diverse animals and habitats. The final selection emerged from more than 14,000 submissions, featuring a wide variety of species, terrains, and behavior.

The overall winner, “Ocean Drifter” by Ryan Stalker, features a soccer ball floating in the water with dozens of goose barnacles attached to the bottom. An unlikely—and unnatural—host for the creatures, the object landed on the shore in Dorset after making a journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

“Goose barnacles are not native to the U.K. but can wash up on our shores during powerful Atlantic storms,” Stalker says. Curious about the ball’s journey, Stalker captured an example of the way human negligence or waste can accommodate potentially invasive species, which can have profound impacts on delicate ecosystems.

We’ve shared several more of our favorites here, but you can explore many more forays into the British wilderness on the competition’s website, where a coffee table book of the current collection is available for purchase. BWPA is also currently open for entries for the 2025 contest through June 2.

Spencer Burrows, “Sunrise Hare.” Runner-up for Animal Portraits category. Brown hare (Lepus europaeus), Nottinghamshire, England

Matthew Glover, “Dancing in the Dark.” Runner-up for Animal Behaviour category. Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus), Killingworth, North Tyneside, England

Steven Allcock, “The Crop Thief.” Runner-up in the Habitat category, Brown hare (Lepus europaeus), Nantwich Cheshire, England

Lucien Harris, “Daisy Danger.” Runner-up for Hidden Britain category, Flower crab spider (Misumena vatia) and Honey bee (Apis mellifera), Lee Mill, Devon, England

Jason McCombe, “Tiny Forest Balloons.” Winner, Botanical Britain category. Slime mould (Comatricha nigra), Essex, England

Ross Hoddinott, “Three’s a Crowd.” Winnter, Hidden Britain category. Common blue butterflies (Polyommatus icarus), Vealand Farm, Devon, England

Simon Withyman, “Day Walker.” Winner, Urban Wildlife category., Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Bristol, England

Max Wood, “Running on Water.” RSPB Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 and winner of 15-17 Years category. Coot (Fulica atra), Frensham Little Pond, Surrey, England

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article This Year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards Revels in Oceanic Journeys and Flamboyant Courtships appeared first on Colossal.