In my post-secondary years, I was an Art History major. The richness it gave me, the insight into so many cultures and historical eras can’t be understated. One of my favorite artists remains the Norwegian Expressionist, Edvard Munch (1863-1944). Munch (pronounced kind of like moonk) is most famous for the much-parodied painting, The Scream (tortured skeletal person striking a McCauley Culkin “Home Alone” pose on a bridge under a blood-red sunset sky). But what I liked best among Munch’s works are his moonlit landscapes; works like “The Dance of Life, Lady of the Sea, Moonlight, and Sommernacht Am Strand (picture).
Here on the north shore of Lake Erie, it’s been hot and hazy for quite some time, making it difficult to get any good Skywatch daytime shots. There’ve been no interesting piles of fluffy cumulus, no mackerel skies, only a few mare’s tails too thin to photograph well. Sunset is the only time that we get anything dramatic. Then the sun often breaks through, and the colors are striking, even though smog-created. When I saw the sun dipping low and making this pillar of light on the water I immediately thought of Munch, and dashed out with my camera to see if I could capture it. The first shot has the most well-defined column, but I also like the second one, taken a bit later, with the kayakers heading back to shore. And in both, I like the contrast of the bright ball of the sun and the dark ball of the float, deceptively appearing to be the same size.
Munch photo - www.postershop.com
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