Just reading a book (A good man in Africa, by William Boyd (please don’t judge me)), and came across this line: ‘There was a clear three-quarter moon in the sky which palely illuminated everything and caused the buildings, trees and bushes to cast dagger-edged impenetrable shadows.’
It made me think of times I have seen similar, and wondered if either this resonates with you… Or, if you have come across interesting references to light and/or photography in literature?
I (we) won’t judge your reading… But pop any lines (or even titles of books) here, just for fun…
I had read his other books about northern (European) culture and was intrigued by this, so I ordered a copy (Bookshop.org!!) a couple months ago. He explores many authors and artists whose work is inspired by evening (not morning) twilight. He makes the claim that evening twilight has been an enormously important factor in the arts and mindsets of many cultures, especially northern European ones. The book resonates with me as I am an enthusiastic observer (and photographer) of sunsets and evening twilights, especially in autumn and winter. I was very interested to discover, and become re-acquainted with various artists such as Atkinson-Grimshaw, Caspar David Friedrich, Victoria Crowe, Samuel Palmer, as well as various authors such as Wordsworth, Virgil et al.
The writing can be extremely dense; he is an extremely erudite and literary writer. It is not a quick read, but highly recommended.
Thanks @Kadsura that’s brilliant… I can get the ebook version from my library, so I’ll get into that. Thank you. Also, there is another of his in my library, The Idea of North (not about light per se, but I’ll have a look at that).
Yes, twilight, a wonderful time of the day. So much change and colour… Softness about it too.
I’d like to explore more photography in this realm; thanks for your thoughtful reply and the inspiration it has provided.