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After a long thought I decided not to place too much description about the
"meaning" of my image in the provided text file. Now I am very curious if
somebody did "discover" my interpretation of the theme. In the last round
I enjoyed a lot reading how people interpreted "Non nobis sed Tibi Domine".
I found with pleasure and surprise that different interpretations from my
original one fitted the image in an equally satisfying way. Here follows
my explanation.
The most important point is the characters' placement in the scene. I
said in the text file that the book implicitly suggests the ghost is not
real but a projection of the lady's crazy mind. Because of this, it would
have been nonsense to place a "real" spirit fluctuating in the middle of
the image. The use of a simple indistinct shadow cast on the wall could
suggest the lady is simply saying: "Keep silent darling or you'll wake the
boy". An image like this should not suggest immediately a sense of
mistery. It should be something which grows up slowly while you learn more
about the story behind it, exactly like the book.
Since in the novel there is no evidence that the boy does see the ghost,
I rejected my first idea to cast the shadow on the floor right in front of
the staircase: in that case its presence could have been felt by the boy
sleeping (since if he woke he would be able to see it). With the current
geometry, the wall with the shadow is completely hidden from the boy's
sight.
The use of colors has a specific meaning too. I already discussed about
the hints placed in the image that refers to the lady's madness. But I
wanted not to exclude the possibility the boy is really in danger, in order
to recreate the original atmosphere of the story. To achieve this, I used
warm color for the most part of the image, and a cold blue light both to
cast the ghost's shadow on the wall and to lit the boy's room. This should
suggest the possibility that the ghost is already corrupting the boy. The
heavy bed curtains and the huge wireframe at the bed's head, both coloured
with a deep blue, enforce the idea of something oppressing the boy.
Last note. The lady is carrying a candle which casts some light towards
the ghost. It could be seen as her try to "elighten" the mistery behind
its real essence. But I have to admit this meaning came explicitly to my
mind only when I saw the complete image, and it wasn't put into
deliberately.
Let me hear what were your thoughts about this image.
Maurizio.
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ziotom <zio### [at] hotmail com> wrote in message
news:web.3f35422887be45158a63411c0@news.povray.org...
>
> The most important point is the characters' placement in the scene. I
> said in the text file that the book implicitly suggests the ghost is not
> real but a projection of the lady's crazy mind. Because of this, it would
> have been nonsense to place a "real" spirit fluctuating in the middle of
> the image. The use of a simple indistinct shadow cast on the wall could
> suggest the lady is simply saying: "Keep silent darling or you'll wake the
> boy". An image like this should not suggest immediately a sense of
> mistery. It should be something which grows up slowly while you learn
more
> about the story behind it, exactly like the book.
>
> Since in the novel there is no evidence that the boy does see the
ghost,
> I rejected my first idea to cast the shadow on the floor right in front of
> the staircase: in that case its presence could have been felt by the boy
> sleeping (since if he woke he would be able to see it). With the current
> geometry, the wall with the shadow is completely hidden from the boy's
> sight.
>
> The use of colors has a specific meaning too. I already discussed
about
> the hints placed in the image that refers to the lady's madness. But I
> wanted not to exclude the possibility the boy is really in danger, in
order
> to recreate the original atmosphere of the story. To achieve this, I used
> warm color for the most part of the image, and a cold blue light both to
> cast the ghost's shadow on the wall and to lit the boy's room. This
should
> suggest the possibility that the ghost is already corrupting the boy. The
> heavy bed curtains and the huge wireframe at the bed's head, both coloured
> with a deep blue, enforce the idea of something oppressing the boy.
>
I've never read the book, so I cannot comment on how well it conveys the
story, but your image & your textfile are enough to make me want to read it.
Sounds like a good read.
Even without reading your explanation, it was quite mysterious. The
separation of the ghostly shadow and the sleeping boy, and the lady's
position in the scene as an element obviously central to both creates a nice
tension that is both artistically pleasing and conceptually satisfying.
Her pose, moving towards the shadow while looking back towards the boy
emphasizes the mystery and provides movement & direction to the scene.
Excellent composition.
Technically excellent. I would probably make the lights a little brighter,
as the image overall seems a bit dark on my monitor and because the lit area
around each lamp seems very constrained to about 2-3ft, which doesn't seem
natural IMO. Fantastic modeling & texturing. I'd love to know how you made
her dress, costumes in Poser are a real headache for me.
Great job.
RG
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