Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge
Which way? What? I am still puzzling over this one! (At the pier in Venice, Italy)
Which Way? When to go? Too many choices.
A mangled directional sign? Art?
This garden beckons to me. “Come this way. It is peaceful here.” (Grounds for Sculpture, Trenton, NJ)
The Daily Post Photo Challenge: Dialogue
Imagine the dialogue between two sisters in the garden.
A lovely afternoon for “Two Sisters” at the Grounds for Sculpture, Trenton, NJ
Perhaps they talk about a knitting project the younger sister will soon begin.
Perhaps they talk about the lovely flowers in the sister’s hat.
Perhaps they talk about the lovely garden setting.
Or perhaps they talk about other secret matters.
***
This sculpture is a 3-D rendition by J. Seward Johnson, Jr. of Pierre-August Renoir’s “Two Sisters” painting. The sculpture can be seen at Grounds for Sculpture, Trenton, NJ. It has been called “Family Secret” in a few sources. Here is a view of the original which can be seen at the Art Institute Chicago.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Two Sisters, 1879
Where’s My Backpack? Travel Theme: Metal
This photo is from one of my favorite places: Grounds for Sculpture near Trenton, NJ. It is a photographer’s heaven. So much to see and capture on camera.
For more on Grounds for Sculpture check these posts:
Cee’s Fun Foto: Paths and Surprises
Unnaturals Invade Grounds for Sculpture in NJ
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Ground, Rocks, Sand, Dirt Paths, Walks, Trails
My entries this week come from Grounds for Sculpture, Trenton, New Jersey. Put this must-visit place on your calendar!
And a surprise at the end of the path… (one of many!)
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Statues, Carvings, Sculptures
Cee hosted this challenge on carvings and sculptures several weeks ago, but today I noted a news item that reminded me of two sculptures I have seen this year. One sculpture was on the east coast; the other was on the west coast.
Background. On August 14, 1945. LIFE Magazine photographer, Alfred Eisenstaedt, was in Times Square, New York City, taking pictures of the jubilant crowd celebrating the announcement of V-J Day (Victory over Japan). One of Eisenstaedt’s photos, a sailor kissing a nurse, became quite well-known. That photo can’t be shown here because it is copyrighted, however, you can view the photo on this slide show (the first photo): The 75 Best LIFE Photos. The photo is called “Unconditional Surrender” and alternately “The Kiss.”
Victor Jorgensen, a former Navy photo journalist who was standing just steps away from Eisenstaedt, took an almost identical photo. Because Jorgensen was a Navy journalist, the photo is government property and in the public domain, so it can be shown here. (Compare Eisenstaedt’s photo with the photo below.)
Photo credit: Victor Jorgensen. public domain photo. V-J Day announced, August 14, 1945.
(The official V-J Day is September 2, 1945, commemorating the actual signing of the surrender agreement.)
Here’s a life-sized rendition of this photo found at the Seward Johnson Center for the Arts, Grounds for Sculpture, near Trenton, New Jersey.
“Unconditional Surrender” 2010 JKHeck photo.
You can read an article, “Unconditional Surrender, installed as part of Sculpture Along the Way,” on the Grounds for Sculpture blog. This sculpture, installed on April 26, 2010, is actually the third copy of this scene.
Seward Johnson’s original 25-foot-tall sculpture, “Unconditional Surrender,” was made out of Styrofoam and put on display in Sarasota, Florida in 2005. You can see a picture of the Sarasota Kiss here.
Another 25-foot-tall “Unconditional Surrender” (“The Kiss,”) by Seward Johnson can be found at the USS Midway Museum, along the harbor in San Diego, Ca. The most recent version, a bronze casting, replacing an earlier temporary version, was dedicated February 16, 2013.
“Unconditional Surrender,” Sculpture by Seward Johnson. USS Midway Museum, San Diego Harbor. Dedicated Feb. 16, 2013.
By the way, if you would like your own copy of “Unconditional Surrender” (or “The Kiss”), I hear they are available for:
Styrofoam version $542,500
Aluminum version $980,000
Bronze version $1,140,000
Really now, that’s just small change. Why not just get the bronze version? Your neighbors will love it.
I saw this dancing girl at the Grounds for Sculpture in Trenton, NJ and took her picture from different points of view.
Which view do you like best?
Look here for info on this challenge: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/unusual/
WordPress Photo Challenge: Eerie NaBloPoMo
An out-of-focus, facing-into-the-sun shot creates mystery and eeriness. (All photos by Janice Heck)
Grounds for Sculpture, Trenton, NJ
Evil personified? Grounds for Sculpture, Trenton, NJ
A sudden, late afternoon storm.
The exquisite ruins at Jerash, Jordan
Jerash, Jordan
Mays Landing, NJ stormy night
The Last Meow
Dark and stormy night? NO. I am not afraid. I am not a scaredy cat. So there.
photo credit: diabetically speaking.com
Meow for now. =<^;^>=
This time of year can be quite “dangerous.” It’s “Halloween,” you know, and you never know “who” (or “what”) you will see out there in the “dark forests” and “cemeteries” on your “lovely” evening stroll. Take these two “zombies,” for example. They belong to the world of “unnaturals,” for sure.
They “pretend” to be “ghouls” or the “living dead.” But who knows, maybe they just like to throw “scare quotes” around and paint their faces with black, red, and white paint (with a touch of green, please) just to add “local color” in their neighborhood.
Okay, I admit it. These two are “relatives”…just showing their “true colors.” And, no, I don’t think you want to meet them. They are a bit, well… forgive me… “weird.” We can overlook their little “oddities,” okay? But the “scare quotes” (overused quotations marks) are another matter. They get annoying.
What are “Scare Quotes”?
Scare quotes use quotation marks around non-quoted material to emphasize selected words for specific purposes.
1. For (unneeded) emphasis. “Greengrocer quotes”
“Greengrocers” use quotes about their “fresh” veggies and fruit.
“Happy” Pomegranates on sale today!
Like greengrocers, some writers emphasize commonly understood words in their writing by putting quotes around them.
Scare quotes. Photo by Savandyke.wordpress.com
Our new filters use fewer chemicals and result in “better quality water” in the pool.
Sammy and Bill are joining “old” friends on their Caribbean cruise.
She calls herself an “actress,” but she has less talent than a string bean in a chorus line.
But these are not scare quotes at all. These are, plain and simple, overused and unnecessary, quotations marks.
2. To indicate a questionable term.
On the other hand, Journalists, editors, academic writers, and other writers use scare quotes to let a reader know that an indicated term is not being used correctly.
The writer may be saying, “This is not my own term, I am just reporting on it. I have no opinion about it.” Or, “The writer I am quoting is using this term incorrectly or it’s the incorrect term.”
“Climate warming” has been identified as the cause of all extreme weather occurrences.
3. To indicate irony or sarcasm
Correctly used care quotes generally imply skepticism, criticism, disagreement, disapproval, derision, even contempt. They call into question the truthfulness of the indicated word.
My brother complains about the “food” at the hospital.
Al Gore “invented” the Internet.
The “generosity” of that philanthropist is notorious.
The words “so-called” can be used in place of scare quotes, but don’t use both.
4. “Sneer Quotes” and “Smug Quotes.”
Sometimes scare quotes give off a bit of a superiority or sneering tone, hence the term, “sneer quotes” or “smug quotes.”
“Dracula Girl” (Photo Caption) WRITHING UNDER a “vampire” attack. Clarita Villanueva, 18, of Manila (Philippines), is watched anxiously by the city’s mayor… as she is held by a police doctor and a nurse. For the past 17 days since she was gaoled (and later acquitted) on a vagrancy charge, mysterious teeth marks have appeared on the girl’s arms during her struggles with the invisible “vampire.” The Barrier Miner, May 28, 1953.
Translation: Hahaha. You really don’t believe this stuff, do you?
5. To insinuate but not prove. “Smear Quotes”
Politicians use scare quotes or smear quotes when they don’t like the language of the opposing party. Jonathan Chait wrote in The New Republic that
The scare quote is the perfect device for making an insinuation without proving it, or even necessarily making clear what you’re insinuating.”
The downside of this practice is that it’s also a shortcut for the writers, allowing them to wallow in their ideological prejudices without spelling out their empirical premises. Jonathan Chait, “Scared Yet?”
Dan Bloom comments in his column entitled “‘Scare quotes’ having a ‘field day’ in the ‘media'” in The China Post, September 29, 2012.
In the long run-up to the American presidential election this coming November [2012], an epidemic of so-called “scare-quotes” is turning political punditry and commentary into what might be called “a punctuation epidemic.”
So What? Who Cares? “Irritation Marks”
Unnecessary quotation marks and scare quotes can become “irritation marks” to readers. If you write for a journal or newspaper, for your boss or your blog, or even for that little community newsletter, you need to be aware of how to correctly use quotation marks and scare quotes.
Avoid all unnecessary quotation marks. An occasional scare quote is not bad. But when you use them so much that the reader gets irritated, that is not good.
One irritated Internet writer said it this way: “Scare quotes” “scare” the “hell” out of me.”
That’s how bad it gets!
Click on the following citations for more information on “scare quotes”:
Dan Bloom, “‘Scare quotes’ having a ‘field day’ in the ‘media'” The China Post
Johnathan Chait, “Scared Yet,” The New Republic
Daily Writing Tips, 3 Erroneous uses of scare quotes
Grammar Girl, Quick and Dirty Tips single-quotation-marks-versus-double-quotation-marks
The Blog of Unnecessary Quotes.Com
Scott Thornbury, Q is for Quote Marks
Wikipedia, Scare Quotes
And of course, The Chicago Manual of Style.
And would you believe? Shakespeare supposedly used scare quotes.
Martin Harries wrote a book entitled, Scare Quotes from Shakespeare. Can you believe that? Check it out on Amazon.com.
The Last Meow
In the meantime, watch out for those “black cats” and those larger-than-life “conniving witches” in the woods. They can be “dangerous.” “Happy Halloween”
Witches at Grounds for Sculpture, Trenton, NJ
Meow for now. =<^;^>=
For more Halloween fun, read more about these witches and other unnaturals on my previous posts:
Witches on the Prowl
Unnaturals Invade Grounds for Sculpture in NJ
The WANAFriday prompt for Friday, October 11, comes from Kim Griffin. (Delayed post!)
Witches ~ What images does this conjure up?
Deep in the woods of NJ, I found this triad of witches, no doubt conjuring up their next evil deeds, their cauldron brewing in the background. I could hear them snickering and cackling and chortling over their dubious devious designs. I could only pick out a word or two here and there of their conversations (“tasty morsels,” “scaredy-cat kid porridge,” “brat soup,” “leg of kid,” “liver pâté,” and “jellied hearts”). The witches had big plans.
Silly children on a school trip did not take this situation seriously. They gawked and took pictures, even though their lives were in serious, even mortal, danger. Oh well, kids think they are invulnerable to bad things. The witches, itching to spring into action on a secret signal from their leader, must have been thinking: “Fresh young things for lunch! Yum!”
I snuck up for a closer look.
Then I took a look in their cauldron. No doubt, the witches were already planning to have a tasty lunch. (Well, the kids finally ran away, so the triad of trickery were stuck with the much tougher boiled crocs.)
Okay, here’s the truth: Before I left for a vacation in California recently, a friend and I visited Grounds for Sculpture, an exquisite 35-acre park located at 18 Fairgrounds Road in Trenton, New Jersey. We found these witchy, bigger-than-life statues among the garden sculptures. What an astounding place. We were surprised and awed at the variety of sculpture, the beauty of the gardens, the whimsical nature of some of the sculptures, and the humor in the displays. This is a very special place for a day trip. We had our own delicious lunch at the Rats Café on the Grounds for Sculpture property. (Rats Café from The Wind and The Willows.) Definitely go visit this place!
The following video will give you a good view of the Grounds for Structure:
WANAFriday Posts
Here are some witchy views from other WANAites.
Kim Griffin: The Many Faces of Witches
Liv Rancourt: #WanaFriday Witches
Dianna Bell: On the Virtues of Buggering Hedgehogs
Tami Clayton: Dear Benedict. On Witchcraftery, Living on a Prayer, and the Power of Enough
Happy Witching!
Janice Hall Heck 