Junichiro Tanizaki in his book ‘in praise of shadows’
“There is nothing more. And yet, when we gaze into the darkness… though we know perfectly well it is mere shadow, we are overcome with the feeling that in this small corner of the atmosphere there reigns complete and utter silence; that here in the darkness immutable tranquility holds sway”.
This silence is an aspect I am extremely interested in. It can be seen in many European spaces and is echoed in several churches where the art is located in a perpetual shadow. The outline and the tonal depth is all that remains. In this quiet space we see what we need to see; our imagination picks up where our sight ends. The intangible nature of the image provides a potency within a space of immutable tranquility.
[Image from Wikipedia]