The Janitor of The Goetheanum Photo

Photographer’s Note

The Janitor of The Goetheanum

Dornach, Switzerland

The huge concrete structure that is The (second) Goetheanum was designed by Rudolph Steiner as the world centre for his Anthrosophical Movement in 1923. This followed the destruction, by fire, of The (first) Goetheanum - a largely wooden structure - on 31st December 1922. Whether the second structure is indicative of a pattern of learning, or of ignoring a lesson is, of course, open to debate.

Regards

bostankorkulugu, avene, jbemmels, fanni has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Ninello52 (3371) 2009-07-26 8:44

Ciao Colin!
Che bella composizione! Bellissima la luce che esalta la gamma dei grigi! Bello anche il giallo del legno, unica nota cromatica, molto interessante il gioco delle diagonali.
Saluti, Nino.

chicken (1781) 2009-07-26 10:53

Love it! The lamp and the janitor, dividing the picture with the concrete structure, the wooden railing adding the only bit of warmth/natural besides the janitor's skin.. just perfect!
I always wondered how this "thing" chimes with the spiritual, thouchy-feely theories of antroposophy.

Corpus (114) 2009-07-26 12:33

Hi Colin,

Love this image.

I find the concrete to be a challenge in getting a good feel of perspective. Love the minimalistic wood and lamp as only feature. Thank god for the janitor.

Great shot!

Greetings,

Patrick

wolf38 (12871) 2009-07-26 12:59

Hello Colin. Lines, form and graphic elements. And the special: a working person. The photo pleases me very well, because it is outstanding arranged. Compliment. Regards, Wolfgang.

bostankorkulugu (33670) 2009-07-26 13:00

beautiful graphics with the guy adding life to it... a real good stuff colin...

dta (5347) 2009-07-26 13:41

Hello Colin ,
A stunning picture ! I like a lot the lines shapes , games of light and shade . Your framing is excellent , and the presence of the man is a great feature .
Bravo

Morac (20513) 2009-07-26 14:27

Hello,

Beau travail graphique : j'aime bien
Cordialement
Marc

Bartleby (4924) 2009-07-26 14:31

Hi Colin,
what can I say that hasn't been just said? Careful framing? Check. Interesting play of lines and textures? Check. Welcomed human presence? Check. Quirky humor in the note? Check. Well nothing's missing. Ready to fly. Congratulations are in order, sir.

Best,

Philippe

baba_flies (8017) 2009-07-27 7:35

Hello Colin! This is very good and thank you for showing this to others but I wanted to see the Rhein Falls you know ... LOL. Just kidding. Excellent presentation, I would have probably stood there not knowing where to begin overhelmed by this place that is so strange and yet totally fascinating. Yes Rudolf Steiner, I use some of the Weleda products and grew up with it, and when I have a flu I use their drops but sometimes harder stuff too to ease the pain faster :))) Great the human presence in the picture. You remind me, I have to return and instead of visiting family we should have joined you ... Have a great evening, it looks like a storm outside but it is HOT ... Barbara.

avene (11044) 2009-07-27 8:55

hi Colin,
there's something Escher-esque in this one, I guess because of the contrast between the silhouette of the man and the white lamp, I almost expect someone walking up the to the lamp facing down :) good eye to see this, the curving lines create a fascinating image.

best,
Kristine

Greg1949 (8509) 2009-07-28 7:41

Colin, I like this but am not sure exactly why, if that makes any sense, I also think it is kind of spooky looking but again I can't identify why it seems to have that feel. The lines and detail are great photography but as we all know there is more to this than just the technicals, this has some real feeling in it. Great work.

Greg

speedymanu (1590) 2009-07-29 6:28

HiColin

now this is definitely a decisive moment à la Cartier bresson. The way the lines criss cross and form an abstract pattern is superb and that human touch enhances the sheer beauty of the textures.

Congratulations really

Emmanuel

jbemmels (327) 2009-07-31 2:28

Colin, I don't quite know what to say about this photo. It's beautiful. It reminds me of a Buddhist story I once heard about a man striving towards enlightenment by scrubbing the floors of a palace every day. And then there's the element of stairs (ascent?), and strange forms (confusion?).

I guess your photo is not really a photo of a man in an interesting building, but more a photo of a man's soul.

Jordan

fanni (8737) 2009-08-01 13:24

Hello Colin,
this is a very interesting photo. I like this unusual composition which contains a "human element" :) What a curious juxtaposition of the man and the hanging lamp! I also like the special "geometry" of the composition.
Best wishes!
Elena

Silversnow (2121) 2009-08-18 5:45

Great architecture, it reminds me f those impossible perspective shots :D
The human element added is definitely a bonus.
Great POV as usual :)