Oh, it’s excellent photography. This photo is done by the same photographer who snapped the spiral Staircase photo in our Featured Photo area. It’s not the photography, but the subject, that gets to me.
Whenever I see a photo of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, I always have a strong urge to turn the page or click away from it. I like things balanced, and I quickly spot a photo that does not have balance. I want the buildings straight. Things don’t have to be centered, in fact I usually prefer they are not. But the “weight” needs to be evenly distributed on each side. The photo needs to draw the eye across the page and guide it gently to a focal point near the center or slightly to one side (usually left to right.)
In High School, we were given an Art Aptitude test. It was mostly to determine how well we could judge the qualities of art. I scored 99% on it, meaning I was in the top 99 percentile nationwide in my ability to judge artistic balance and design. That was only one test and I’m not sure how accurate it was, but I do think I have a good sense of artistic “correctness.”
After reading the Rembrandt story, I’ve wondered if perhaps my own artistic ablilites are sharpened by my exotropia. Maybe it’s because I have enough trouble keeping my eyes straight that I am quick to recognize anything unbalanced that pulls them astray. Hmmm… Any other “Tropes” out there that have this same “connection” with art?
Photo credit: Liam Heffernan (who did an excellent job photographing an unbalanced subject}.
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