TEARS IN RAIN
Yuheng Zhu
I
IN PRAISE OF LIGHT & SHADOW Shadow is a perfect replication of our world, but it is also intangible and ephemeral. Shadow is a two-dimensional form of objects’ existence; it is surreal. Yet shadow is interdependent with light, an equally interesting mundane life detail. Light itself is already intriguing, but in some situations, minutiae in daily life can also be metaphor of light, and those little glowing moments in life are incredibly soothing. Light and shadow can be poetic and tranquil, delicate and quiet, and are powerful mediums for questioning and reflecting on identity, and existence. My four months’ studying time in Rome and traveling around Italy gives me lots of inspirations. Here, luxuriant heritages of antiquity neutralize with the modernity, and even soften the light. Sometimes I feel the light and shadow are subtler in Rome than in other metropolitan cities. The abundant Renaissance paintings in Rome also inspire me with their extraordinary Chiaroscuro technique (an oil painting technique of using strong tonal contrasts between light and dark).
This photo album is created for the ART1602 Intro to Photography class, Cornell in Rome. The first section is an independent project about light and shadow. The second section is a collection of other photos took during the semester.
Cornell in Rome, Fall 2017 | ©Yuheng Zhu
La Mortella, Ischia Sep 21, 2017
Biennale Arte 2017, Venice Oct 7, 2017
Brion Cemetery, San Vito d’Altivole Sep 12, 2017
American Academy, Rome | Nov 7, 2017
National Gallery of Modern Art, Rome | Sep 15, 2017
Villa d’Este, Tivoli | Nov 4, 2017
Via di S. Anna, Rome | Oct 25, 2017
Villa d’Este, Tivoli | Nov 4, 2017
Chiesa dell’Autostrada, Campi Bisenzio | Oct 22, 2017
Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli | Nov 4, 2017
Palazzo Santacroce, Rome | Nov 10, 2017
Protestant Cemetery, Rome | Sep 26, 2017
Via di S. Anna, Rome | Oct 25, 2017
Villa d’Este, Tivoli | Nov 4, 2017 Via di S. Anna, Rome | Oct 25, 2017
Centro Pecci, Prato | Oct 22, 2017
MAXXI, Rome | Oct 24, 2017
“If light is scarce, then light is scarce; we will immerse ourselves in the darkness and there discover its own particular beauty.” — Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows
MAXXI, Rome | Oct 24, 2017
“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.�
II
LIFE IN ITALY During the time I study in Italy, I always take my camera with me. Whereas my photo album is not merely a documentation of my life; it is a confession of how I view the world. I indeed frame the world I see from my very personal perspective. This reminds me of Claude Lévi-Strauss‘ quote from Chateaubriand in his book Tristes Tropiques: “Every man carries within himself a world made up of all that he has seen and loved; and it is to this world that he returns, incessantly, though he may pass through and seem to inhabit a world quite foreign to it.” — François-René de Chateaubriand
Cornell in Rome, Fall 2017 | ©Yuheng Zhu
Ristorante Shangai, Siena | Oct 22, 2017
Hard Rock Cafe, Florence | Oct 21, 2017
Stazione Marittima, Salerno | Sep 25, 2017
Duomo di Milano, Milan | Sep 7, 2017
Duomo di Milano, Milan | Sep 7, 2017
Biennale Arte 2017, Venice | Oct 7, 2017
Biennale Arte 2017, Venice | Oct 7, 2017
Stazione Marittima, Salerno | Sep 25, 2017
Anonymous Church, Rome | Sep 19, 2017
San Lorenzo Market, Florence | Oct 21, 2017
Piazza Vittorio, Rome | Oct 17, 2017
Thanks for reading.
YZ DESIGN