Monday, March 7, 2011

Ashes And Snow ... Gregory Colbert


Gregory Colbert is a Canadian photographer and this wonderful photograph (click photo to enlarge) is part of his exhibit "Ashes and Snow". According to an article by Alan Riding in "The New York Times", “The power of the images comes less from their formal beauty than from the way they envelop the viewer in their mood. . . .They are simply windows to a world in which silence and patience govern time.”

As Gregory Colbert says, “When I started Ashes and Snow in 1992, I set out to explore the relationship between man and animals from the inside out. In discovering the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals, I am working towards restoring the common ground that once existed when people lived in harmony with animals.”

"Every culture from the Egyptians to the Mayans to the American Indians to the Bedouins created bestiaries that enabled them to express their relationship with nature. Ashes and Snow is a 21st-century bestiary filled with species from around the world. Nature’s orchestra includes not just Homo sapiens but elephants, whales, manatees, eagles, cheetahs, orangutans, and many others."

I have always believed that animals are more like humans than not ... well, humans on a good day, that is. We should be so lucky as to be more like animals. They have a dignity that we seem to have lost, and maybe they have something to teach us.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a great post. Thanks. I agree with the thoughts shared. If any humans want to regain their dignity, honorary squirrelship is available for a small consideration of nuts and seeds. Did Colbert photograph any squirrels?

Sincerity said...

Wow! So beautiful! Yes I think humans can learn a lot from the animals. First of all, they don't complain or feel like the world owes them anything.

And animals do tend to exhibit a lot of patience. :)

Paula Slade said...

Beautiful photo.

Lorac said...

Striking photo! I will look for it. Humans have since their early days, created a bond with many types of animals.I think this picture defines that well.

Alicia said...

Love this photo. Animals do enrich our lives so much.

DUTA said...

"..animals are more like humans on.. a good day" - I like that observation of yours.

DJan said...

We give the world of animals a bad name, much of the time. Where did we go wrong, Jo? We think way too much, and rationalize our actions.

June said...

It strikes me that one of the first erroneous assumptions is that humans are not, in fact, animals too. If we would remember that maybe we could more readily apply the available lessons.

Jo said...

What an incredible photograph, Jo!

I love the idea of us being part of "nature's orchestra"...we're not playing a solo here, are we?