Thoughts About the World as It Is… or Could Be (1): War

Before the Storm (1), 2015.All Wars are Follies, very expensive and very mischieveous ones. When will Mankind be convinc’d of this, and agree to settle their Differences by Arbitration? Were they to do it even by the Cast of a Dye, it would be better than by Fighting and destroying each other.”
Benjamin Franklin in an unpublished letter to Mary Stevenson Hewson on January 27, 1783, in: The Papers of Benjamin Franklin

By now you have probably found out that I like quotes. What sometimes drives me mad though, is that very often what troubles us today is nothing new to our generation. Instead generations before us, sometimes even going back well before the current era, have been dealing with the same problems. And even worse, people have made suggestions on how to solve these problems.

What I find most disturbing at the moment are the many wars on this planet; some of which have been going on for quite some time, others for not so long. Especially troubling I find the war in Syria. Everybody willing to take a closer look can see all the ugly sides of wars there. Benjamin Franklin’s words uttered well more than 200 years ago, are unfortunately still up to date.

But I am also hopeful. Still. And in spite of what I have said before. Because something is different now. There is an exodus of people from the war-stricken regions in the mid-east. And they not only look for refuge in nearby countries, no, they are willing to risk their lives to find a safe haven in Europe, where fortunately, most people nowadays know wars only from TV. Countries en route as well as the countries of refuge are facing problems new to them, especially in that scale. And maybe, maybe this will start a process of rethinking war and the price it comes with in the political classes. Hopefully this will eventually result not only in the realization of the truth of Benjamin Franklin’s words, but also in actions to stop this senseless killing of people and the destruction of every possibility for the survivors to make a living, not even talking about making a living in a healthy environment.

Changes on Saatchi Art and on byGabrieleGolissa.com

Over Russia (1), 2014.“All things move and nothing remains still”
Socrates referring to Heraclitus of Ephesus in Plato, Cratylus, 360 BCE, section 402a

I have been doing some restructuring, here on my website and also on Saatchi Art. I have made a few more prints available on Saatchi Art and will continue to do so in the future. I do not offer fine art or gallery photo paper prints anymore, however, canvas prints are still available for some photographs and I have added original photo prints under acrylic glass and HD metal prints.

Here on my website, you will now find an info-section with a lot of information about the different printing options, the different editions I offer, and much more. I have also added more photographs and arranged them in new collections. And perhaps the biggest change is, that you can now order prints of my photographs here on my website!

If you enjoy my photographs, please like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and Saatchi Art. Hope to see you there soon!

by Gabriele Golissa Prints Now Available on Saatchi Art

Darko's Fire, 2015.It is not that I am so wise that I can predict what will happen next. What I do know is that if one wants to get a boat ride, one must be near the river.
Anchee Min, Becoming Madame Mao, 2000, p. 21

I am very happy to announce that prints of my photographs are now available on Saatchi Art! What now calls itself the world’s leading online art gallery, was started in 2006, then as Saatchi Online, by the famous Saatchi Gallery of London.

The photographs I selected for Saatchi Art especially convey the atmosphere of the moment when the picture was taken. Some of the pictures are vibrant and lively, others show gentle color transitions giving a feeling of peacefulness and serenity. I believe this is best transported by Fine Art Prints. You can also opt for Gallery Photo Paper Prints, both options are of course printed with archival pigmented inks. For some photographs I even offer Canvas Prints coated with a special UV protective layer. I used to think canvas is not the right medium for photographs, even though it has become increasingly popular. But because of the distinctive characteristics of some of the pictures I have chosen for my Saatchi Art Portfolio, I have somewhat changed my mind on that. Take a look for yourself<!–, here on my website or–> on Saatchi Art!

The World as I See It

Rusty Skies (1), 2015.“The Earth is Art, the Photographer is only a Witness.”
Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Earth from Above

I have been taking pictures of the world around me for quite a while. I like to show this world as it is. It is beautiful enough not to need any post-shot enhancements. Then, what a photograph displays largely depends on literally the point of view of the photographer and on what part of what is in view the photographer chooses to capture. My photography expresses how I see this world. This of course also means that I am dependent on what nature shows me… and on the light of course. The same shot looks totally different when light conditions change. But this is also part of the magic of photography!

And maybe it is this change in light that I find so fascinating in skies. They never look the same. Colors range from a deep summer blue to other shades of blue and are often tinted with whitish clouds; grey in all shades, sometimes fading into tones of lilac; warm reddish, orange hues when the sun sets; and so much more… On some days the skies are of a crystal-clear crispness leaving an impression of infinite depth. On other days, the colors fade into one another showing the vague abstractness of below surface feelings.

All this is what I try to capture in my pictures. I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do!