Anita Casari wrote this article whilst with us at The Art Ministry on an internship through Professionals UK.com. Originally from Italy, Anita was captivated by Mark Scott’s photographs, in particular River Scene and Skye Rainbow. Here, Anita Casari presents us with an illuminating and unusual way of looking at these images.
“River Scene” had a particular impact on me and the first impression that I had about this image has been about movement. It’s like being on a train journey going threw the country and, out of the window, you see this image, just for a second, its impact is so great that it stays in the mind.
I feel this sensation when I look at this photograph it comes principally from the blurred aspects of the image; the leaves, the grass and the sliding water. The same three elements form three horizontal lines, all playing an important role. These lines are given by the yellow leaves (in the top of the picture), the green grass (in the bottom of the picture) and the white waves (which are the focal point and it is easy to understand their importance because they are the subject of the picture appearing in the centre). The two lines of the leaves and the grass look like a frame for the waves so that they attract the attention of the viewer. Another function of these two lines is given by their colour; this is because yellow plus green gives a clear blue colour (the symbolic colour of the fresh water of a river) and thus acts like the two lines of the frame thereby becoming the essence of the subject to the viewer subconsciously.
The only visible element which is present all around the image are the light brown leaves that you can see on the ground or on the branches, working as a united element.
Correlated to this impression there is another important element which contributes to enforce the effect of power in this picture; it is the game of light and colour created by nature that Mark Scott has been able to capture and impress so it can be enjoyed by all.
The sunlight from the right hand corner highlights the yellow of the leaves and the green of the grass so that they become the boundary in which you can see the water.
The shadows and the dark colours originated by the light become very important to define every single element and their function in this photograph. In particular, this kind of effect on the water makes it powerful. Mark Scott has been able to capture the sense of strength that the image of this water makes you feel how you may if you were descending into the river without obstacles. So I think it’s possible to say that the main subject of this picture is not only the water (as the series name indicates) but it’s about the dynamic, equilibrated, powerful and elegant movements within it. The series has been called “water”, it’s obvious, because it is the main visual subject but I think that it could also be called “the sense of water” because by this and the other images you can’t just see water but you can see all the intensity of its movement which adds to its gracefulness.
This is one of many works by Mark Scott about nature and its power; from Asia to Africa, and from the United Kingdom to Europe he has always researched the soul and the strength of nature in completely different situations. For example, in the Cambodia Series you can find the victory of the nature on the residue of humanity; or in the Skye Full Colour Series where there are impressive vast European landscapes which apparently look calm, but the tranquillity makes you think about something hidden beneath.
Back to the photograph I have chosen, while I was examining it, it reminded me that what is in the picture, taken in 2005, can never be seen anywhere and at anytime again because nature constantly changes its landscapes and these images in the end act like a witness to these changes.
Another photograph about the power of nature and its changes is “Skye Rainbow”. This second image by Mark Scott that I have selected is because for me it emanates tranquillity, the quietness after a storm. This serenity is the product of a combination of elements which ultimately find a balance.
Talking about the composition, the opposite directions of the forms, the lines created by the objects and by the relation between light and shade (the little wall, the second part of the track and the clouds are in the left while the trees, the first part of the track and the rainbow are on the right) gives the picture a sense of balance.
This sense of balance is enforced by the colours and the light and shade effect.
If it would be possible to mix the two predominant colours, the orange and the blue, we would have a medium grey which is the only colour that doesn’t stress the view; so having these two complementary colours in the same photograph, complete each other and give the sensation of calm and tranquillity to the viewer.
And then the light, it looks like it arrives from the back of your left shoulder and it enlightens the right hand bottom of the picture showing up the small wall made with simple stones and the dry branches. The rainbow, which appears as a spectrum produced by the reflection of sunlight, here also looks as a vertical reflection of the small wall, giving to the entire image a primitive and balanced structure.
Taken in a Scottish island called Skye, in this photograph Mark Scott has been able to capture the feeling that is only possible when the sun comes out after a strong storm: you can see colours more clearly, everything looks neater, you can smell the refreshed air, feel the breeze, and the birds’ singing is the only sound that you can hear because everything is in a state of complete silence.
Both these photographs, River Scene and Skye Rainbow, gives us the opportunity to perceive things and feelings that usually one can only see for few seconds and in remote and unusual locations.
For further information on Mark Scott visit his website and view his full collection.
© 2007 Anita Casari/The Art Ministry. All rights reserved.
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