The Evil Pepper

I love Pixabay, because it is a wonderful site just packed full of copyright-free images I can use (with credit, of course--the photographer deserves love!), and it is also the answer to my blogging prayers--whenever I need a topic to write about, I can just pop over to Pixabay and find a great photo or graphic image that inspires me to write. Sometimes I am moved to pen a poem or a short story based on the image; sometimes it makes me want to do a little research and write an informative article; sometimes it inspires me to share a memory or some personal feeling; and sometimes, I just talk about how cool the picture itself is.

This would be one of those times. The reason I think this picture is so great is not just because the colors are so eye-catching, the image is so crisp, and the composition is effective. What really tickles me is how spot-on the metaphor is. The razor blade is being shown slicing the pepper, but it represents the "bite" of pain that the pepper can give you, too, and the water droplets all over make the vegetable look clean and juicy, but they also remind me of the way really hot peppers make you bust out into a sweat--especially the way they are beaded on the razor blade; it's just perfect! Love this picture and just wanted to share it with you. Now did I make you hungry, or scare you? Ha ha!

Image from Pixabay pixabay.com/en/pepperoni-red-sharp-cut-knife-273982/

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The Busted Bust (A Poem of a Story of a Painting of a Photograph of a Sculpture)

Yuri was a handsome boy
And Benny studied art
Benny sculpted Achilles
While Yuri played the part

Nita, a photographer,
Captured the bust of Yuri
Before Charles, Benny's lover,
Smashed it in a jealous fury.

Charles got Cassandra
(Feeling sorry for his gaffe)
To make a painting of the bust
From Nita's photograph

Cassie's realistic style
Breathed life into Achilles
Benny welcomed Charles back
With tearful hugs and lillies

It's nice to see that everything
Worked out so well, but might
I ask: With all those artists in,
Who owns the copyright?

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Photo from freepik www.freepik.com/free-photo/statue_351817.htm

The Unusual Compositions of Edgar Degas Show the Growing Influence of Photography in 19th-Century Painting

Although a camera that could produce permanent images was invented as early as 1790 by Thomas Wedgwood, it wasn't until the 1800s that photography became more widespread as technology advanced to make it more accessible. There was not yet a camera in every home, as there would be by the snapshot-crazy 1960s and 70s, but by the late 19th century, people who were not necessarily photographers could at least start to dabble.

The French artist Edgar Degas, who exhibited with the Impressionists but did not consider himself one, was enamored of photography and frequently used a camera to record his subjects for later reference. This can be easily seen by observing the composition of many of paintings. Many artists still used the more formal, traditionally posed compositions for their paintings, but the work of Degas shows a more immediate, casual glimpse at his subjects, as they are captured at a moment in their normal lives.

Degas was famous for his paintings of ballet dancers, many of which he produced owing both to an interest in the subject and because the subject sold well. Considering that the stage settings and costumes could certainly have been easily used as props for attractively staged compositions, Degas chose instead to go behind the scenes, giving us a look at the more raw, unfinished, and ultimately more lively rehearsal scenes. As can be seen in this pastel from 1874, The Rehearsal Onstage, the uneven bunching of subjects, active poses, abrupt cropping, and even the unexpected intrusion into the foreground of the neck of an instrument,  gives this work an immediate, informal feel, like a candid snapshot.

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Image from Wikimedia Commons en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Edgar_Germain_Hilaire_Degas_009.jpg