Sign-In
Cart
Imagining Eden: Connecting Landscapes
Hardcover
ISBN13: 9780813923826
Publisher: Univ Of Virginia Pr
Published: Oct 5 2005
Pages: 96
Weight: 1.41
Height: 0.60 Width: 11.26 Depth: 7.84
Language: English
Because Eden's genius resides in imagination, it is a mobile spirit; always found in place but never confined by place. The spirit of Eden migrates within us, animated through our imaginative responses to actual places in the material world, in our roles as gardeners and poets, painters and photographers.
--from the introduction
What did Eden look like? In Imagining Eden the photographer Lyle Gomes observes landscapes that represent the idea of locus amoenus--the pleasant place. The tradition of locus amoenus goes back to the idyllic descriptions of fictional locations, often called Arcadia, in the writings of Sappho, Apollonius, and Virgil, in the imagined period of the Golden Age. We also recognize this concept in Eden, of course, where it suggests a loss that still haunts our imaginations. It is an idea distinctly different from that of wilderness, for we feel protected in these places--even provided for, though there is no sign of toil. The chance that this Eden might somehow be regained gives the concept its consolatory power.
For fifteen years, Gomes has traveled across America and Europe to find examples of this enduring ideal of place in parks, English gardens, even golf courses. Gomes's search took him to Mount Auburn cemetery, Central Park, Monticello, the San Francisco Presidio, villa gardens near Italy's Lake Como, Melbourne Hall in Derbyshire, and private gardens such as Biltmore and Dumbarton Oaks.
Imagining Eden includes an eloquent introductory essay in which the landscape historian Denis Cosgrove explores how the concept of the locus amoenus relates to Gomes's work, and the photographs are accompanied by an evocative selection of quotes by the various settings' designers and by inspired observers. The book concludes with an extensive interview in which Gomes discusses how he balances craft and inspiration, the role of research in preparing a shoot, his preference for black-and-white over color (I was completely, and immediately, enamored with the silver image), and a sense of discovery as a chief motivation in all his work.
Also in
General Photography
The Poetics of Distortion: Panoramic Photographs of the San Francisco Bay Area
Schiff, Thomas R.
Hardcover
The Impossible Road Trip: An Unforgettable Journey to Past and Present Roadside Attractions in All 50 States
Dregni, Eric
Hardcover
National Parks USA: Shores, Mountains, Wetlands, and Prairies: America's Newest Parks
Publications International Ltd
Hardcover
Court Queens: Celebrate the Players, Teams, and History of Women's Basketball
Robinson, Jordan
Baccellieri, Emma
Hardcover
Otherworldly America: Explore the Most Unique Natural Wonders of the United States
Guzman, Jake
Hardcover
Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams: The Official Visual History
Dickinson, Bruce
Harris, Steve
Maiden, Iron
Hardcover
National Geographic the Photo Ark: One Man's Quest to Document the World's Animals
Sartore, Joel
Chadwick, Douglas H.
Hardcover
Ralph Lauren: In His Own Fashion: The Life and Vision Behind an American Icon
Flusser, Alan
Hardcover
The Photographer's Eye - Definitive Edition: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos
Freeman, Michael
Paperback
Audubon Engagement Calendar 2027: A Tribute to Nature and Its Spectacular Landscapes
National Audubon Society
Workman Calendars
Other
Photographer's Guide to the Nikon Coolpix P950: Getting the Most from Nikon's Superzoom Digital Camera
White, Alexander S.
Paperback
The Marilyn Monroe Century: From Norma Jeane to Icon--A Story in Photographs
Miller, Joshua John
Fortin, M. a.
Hardcover
Infinite Steps: Thirty-Three Dancers and Their Lives in Ballet
Larsen, Gavin
Schiavone, Gene
Paperback
National Geographic the Photographs: Iconic Images from National Geographic
National Geographic
Hardcover
Massimo Listri. the World's Most Beautiful Libraries. 45th Ed.
Sladek, Elisabeth
Ruppelt, Georg
Hardcover
The National Geographic Story: Legendary Photographs, Artifacts, Adventures, and Discoveries That Changed the World
National Geographic
Hardcover
National Geographic Photo Basics: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Great Photography
Sartore, Joel
Paperback
Horse Country: Inside the World of Equestrian Style and Sport, from British Dressage to Western Riding
O'Shea-Evans, Kathryn
Hardcover
Bookstores of the World: The Ultimate Around-The-World Tour for Bibliophiles and Bookshop Lovers (Deluxe Oversize Edition)
Mollier, Jean-Yves
Sorel, Patricia
Hardcover
Unseen: Unpublished Black History from the New York Times Photo Archives
Eveleigh, Darcy
Cave, Damien
Canedy, Dana
Hardcover
Expanding Universe. the Hubble Space Telescope
Grunsfeld, John Mace
Edwards, Owen
Bolden Jr, Charles F.
Hardcover
The Grateful Dead by Jim Marshall: Photos and Stories from the Formative Years, 1966-1977
Gans, David
Marshall, Jim
Davis, Amelia
Hardcover