Brian Sweeney about his
selection of photos for this book
is the daily bread of the eye."
sustenance--as in The Lord's Prayer, "give
us this day our daily bread"--is at the heart
of Sweeney's vision.
Transcendentalists. No doubt I should
have, but from here in New Zealand I
didn't realize that Emerson and Thoreau
and their group were based around the
little town of Concord in New England,
Massachusetts. I assumed that Concord
referred to a jet. And that the Concord
Transcendentalists must be a modern
movement finding inspiration in nature
while on the fly! Of course, I realized my
mistake when I checked out the website.
But for Sweeney at least I reckon Concord
Transcendentalist in my misguided sense
fits perfectly.
the ground transpire beneath him. From
the ground he lift his eyes into the light.
Even when he is not physically on the
move, his imagination takes off over earth
and sea, beyond horizons.
York. Over the years he has tracked his
a modest Canon with everyday Kodak
film and a medium-sized zoom. His
photos, whether taken at pace or rest, are
invariably soaring--and picture nature
full of meaning, even as it surpasses
understanding.
after-effects. His equipment is middle-of-
the-road, but his eye is passionate and his
vision of the world, religious.
the Profane, contrasts the attitude and
experience of religious man to that of non-
religious man. For religious man, nature is
never only natural; it is shot through with
a sense of the sacred. But for non-religious
man--a comparatively recent mode of
being--the cosmos has been desacralized
and is only ever what it is and nothing
more. For the non-religious man, nature
may of course be pleasing and in its way
uplifting, but not in a way that connects
him to a higher power.
often superficially--contrasted in the
person of the artist on the one hand, who
reputedly looks up, and on the other the
businessman, characterized as obdurately
down to earth. So, for Sweeney, artist and
businessman at once, the idea of the sacred
and the profane is already going to be
contested and complex.)
everyday life. In a hierophany the sacred is
witnessed as something absolutely different
from the profane. But crucially and
paradoxically, it is only ever through the
profane that the sacred manifests itself.
ject becomes something else, yet
it continues to remain itself, for it
continues to participate in its sur-
rounding cosmic milieu. A sacred
stone remains a stone; apparently
(or, more precisely, from the pro-
fane point of view), nothing distin-
guishes it from all other stones. But
for those to whom a stone reveals
itself as sacred, its immediate real-
ity is transmuted into supernatural
reality.
us in its grandeur and banality as a sacred
milieu to the very extent that it is not.
Sweeney's photos reveal that the place
apart is no distance from the way well
traveled. Of course, the word "paradise"
tells us to look up. But then again the word
"road" advises that we keep our feet on the
ground. If paradise is a place apart, road is
a way in common.
nature in its grand and overpowering
Brian Sweeney about his
selection of photos for this book
is the daily bread of the eye."
sustenance--as in The Lord's Prayer, "give
us this day our daily bread"--is at the heart
of Sweeney's vision.
Transcendentalists. No doubt I should
have, but from here in New Zealand I
didn't realize that Emerson and Thoreau
and their group were based around the
little town of Concord in New England,
Massachusetts. I assumed that Concord
referred to a jet. And that the Concord
Transcendentalists must be a modern
movement finding inspiration in nature
while on the fly! Of course, I realized my
mistake when I checked out the website.
But for Sweeney at least I reckon Concord
Transcendentalist in my misguided sense
fits perfectly.
the ground transpire beneath him. From
the ground he lift his eyes into the light.
Even when he is not physically on the
move, his imagination takes off over earth
and sea, beyond horizons.
York. Over the years he has tracked his
a modest Canon with everyday Kodak
film and a medium-sized zoom. His
photos, whether taken at pace or rest, are
invariably soaring--and picture nature
full of meaning, even as it surpasses
understanding.
after-effects. His equipment is middle-of-
the-road, but his eye is passionate and his
vision of the world, religious.
the Profane, contrasts the attitude and
experience of religious man to that of non-
religious man. For religious man, nature is
never only natural; it is shot through with
a sense of the sacred. But for non-religious
man--a comparatively recent mode of
being--the cosmos has been desacralized
and is only ever what it is and nothing
more. For the non-religious man, nature
may of course be pleasing and in its way
uplifting, but not in a way that connects
him to a higher power.
often superficially--contrasted in the
person of the artist on the one hand, who
reputedly looks up, and on the other the
businessman, characterized as obdurately
down to earth. So, for Sweeney, artist and
businessman at once, the idea of the sacred
and the profane is already going to be
contested and complex.)
everyday life. In a hierophany the sacred is
witnessed as something absolutely different
from the profane. But crucially and
paradoxically, it is only ever through the
profane that the sacred manifests itself.
ject becomes something else, yet
it continues to remain itself, for it
continues to participate in its sur-
rounding cosmic milieu. A sacred
stone remains a stone; apparently
(or, more precisely, from the pro-
fane point of view), nothing distin-
guishes it from all other stones. But
for those to whom a stone reveals
itself as sacred, its immediate real-
ity is transmuted into supernatural
reality.
us in its grandeur and banality as a sacred
milieu to the very extent that it is not.
Sweeney's photos reveal that the place
apart is no distance from the way well
traveled. Of course, the word "paradise"
tells us to look up. But then again the word
"road" advises that we keep our feet on the
ground. If paradise is a place apart, road is
a way in common.
nature in its grand and overpowering
Brian Sweeney about his
selection of photos for this book
is the daily bread of the eye."
sustenance--as in The Lord's Prayer, "give
us this day our daily bread"--is at the heart
of Sweeney's vision.
Transcendentalists. No doubt I should
have, but from here in New Zealand I
didn't realize that Emerson and Thoreau
and their group were based around the
little town of Concord in New England,
Massachusetts. I assumed that Concord
referred to a jet. And that the Concord
Transcendentalists must be a modern
movement finding inspiration in nature
while on the fly! Of course, I realized my
mistake when I checked out the website.
But for Sweeney at least I reckon Concord
Transcendentalist in my misguided sense
fits perfectly.
the ground transpire beneath him. From
the ground he lift his eyes into the light.
Even when he is not physically on the
move, his imagination takes off over earth
and sea, beyond horizons.
York. Over the years he has tracked his
a modest Canon with everyday Kodak
film and a medium-sized zoom. His
photos, whether taken at pace or rest, are
invariably soaring--and picture nature
full of meaning, even as it surpasses
understanding.
after-effects. His equipment is middle-of-
the-road, but his eye is passionate and his
vision of the world, religious.
the Profane, contrasts the attitude and
experience of religious man to that of non-
religious man. For religious man, nature is
never only natural; it is shot through with
a sense of the sacred. But for non-religious
man--a comparatively recent mode of
being--the cosmos has been desacralized
and is only ever what it is and nothing
more. For the non-religious man, nature
may of course be pleasing and in its way
uplifting, but not in a way that connects
him to a higher power.
often superficially--contrasted in the
person of the artist on the one hand, who
reputedly looks up, and on the other the
businessman, characterized as obdurately
down to earth. So, for Sweeney, artist and
businessman at once, the idea of the sacred
and the profane is already going to be
contested and complex.)
everyday life. In a hierophany the sacred is
witnessed as something absolutely different
from the profane. But crucially and
paradoxically, it is only ever through the
profane that the sacred manifests itself.
ject becomes something else, yet
it continues to remain itself, for it
continues to participate in its sur-
rounding cosmic milieu. A sacred
stone remains a stone; apparently
(or, more precisely, from the pro-
fane point of view), nothing distin-
guishes it from all other stones. But
for those to whom a stone reveals
itself as sacred, its immediate real-
ity is transmuted into supernatural
reality.
us in its grandeur and banality as a sacred
milieu to the very extent that it is not.
Sweeney's photos reveal that the place
apart is no distance from the way well
traveled. Of course, the word "paradise"
tells us to look up. But then again the word
"road" advises that we keep our feet on the
ground. If paradise is a place apart, road is
a way in common.
nature in its grand and overpowering
Brian Sweeney about his
selection of photos for this book
is the daily bread of the eye."
sustenance--as in The Lord's Prayer, "give
us this day our daily bread"--is at the heart
of Sweeney's vision.
Transcendentalists. No doubt I should
have, but from here in New Zealand I
didn't realize that Emerson and Thoreau
and their group were based around the
little town of Concord in New England,
Massachusetts. I assumed that Concord
referred to a jet. And that the Concord
Transcendentalists must be a modern
movement finding inspiration in nature
while on the fly! Of course, I realized my
mistake when I checked out the website.
But for Sweeney at least I reckon Concord
Transcendentalist in my misguided sense
fits perfectly.
the ground transpire beneath him. From
the ground he lift his eyes into the light.
Even when he is not physically on the
move, his imagination takes off over earth
and sea, beyond horizons.
York. Over the years he has tracked his
a modest Canon with everyday Kodak
film and a medium-sized zoom. His
photos, whether taken at pace or rest, are
invariably soaring--and picture nature
full of meaning, even as it surpasses
understanding.
after-effects. His equipment is middle-of-
the-road, but his eye is passionate and his
vision of the world, religious.
the Profane, contrasts the attitude and
experience of religious man to that of non-
religious man. For religious man, nature is
never only natural; it is shot through with
a sense of the sacred. But for non-religious
man--a comparatively recent mode of
being--the cosmos has been desacralized
and is only ever what it is and nothing
more. For the non-religious man, nature
may of course be pleasing and in its way
uplifting, but not in a way that connects
him to a higher power.
often superficially--contrasted in the
person of the artist on the one hand, who
reputedly looks up, and on the other the
businessman, characterized as obdurately
down to earth. So, for Sweeney, artist and
businessman at once, the idea of the sacred
and the profane is already going to be
contested and complex.)
everyday life. In a hierophany the sacred is
witnessed as something absolutely different
from the profane. But crucially and
paradoxically, it is only ever through the
profane that the sacred manifests itself.
ject becomes something else, yet
it continues to remain itself, for it
continues to participate in its sur-
rounding cosmic milieu. A sacred
stone remains a stone; apparently
(or, more precisely, from the pro-
fane point of view), nothing distin-
guishes it from all other stones. But
for those to whom a stone reveals
itself as sacred, its immediate real-
ity is transmuted into supernatural
reality.
us in its grandeur and banality as a sacred
milieu to the very extent that it is not.
Sweeney's photos reveal that the place
apart is no distance from the way well
traveled. Of course, the word "paradise"
tells us to look up. But then again the word
"road" advises that we keep our feet on the
ground. If paradise is a place apart, road is
a way in common.
nature in its grand and overpowering
Brian Sweeney about his
selection of photos for this book
is the daily bread of the eye."
sustenance--as in The Lord's Prayer, "give
us this day our daily bread"--is at the heart
of Sweeney's vision.
Transcendentalists. No doubt I should
have, but from here in New Zealand I
didn't realize that Emerson and Thoreau
and their group were based around the
little town of Concord in New England,
Massachusetts. I assumed that Concord
referred to a jet. And that the Concord
Transcendentalists must be a modern
movement finding inspiration in nature
while on the fly! Of course, I realized my
mistake when I checked out the website.
But for Sweeney at least I reckon Concord
Transcendentalist in my misguided sense
fits perfectly.
the ground transpire beneath him. From
the ground he lift his eyes into the light.
Even when he is not physically on the
move, his imagination takes off over earth
and sea, beyond horizons.
York. Over the years he has tracked his
a modest Canon with everyday Kodak
film and a medium-sized zoom. His
photos, whether taken at pace or rest, are
invariably soaring--and picture nature
full of meaning, even as it surpasses
understanding.
after-effects. His equipment is middle-of-
the-road, but his eye is passionate and his
vision of the world, religious.
the Profane, contrasts the attitude and
experience of religious man to that of non-
religious man. For religious man, nature is
never only natural; it is shot through with
a sense of the sacred. But for non-religious
man--a comparatively recent mode of
being--the cosmos has been desacralized
and is only ever what it is and nothing
more. For the non-religious man, nature
may of course be pleasing and in its way
uplifting, but not in a way that connects
him to a higher power.
often superficially--contrasted in the
person of the artist on the one hand, who
reputedly looks up, and on the other the
businessman, characterized as obdurately
down to earth. So, for Sweeney, artist and
businessman at once, the idea of the sacred
and the profane is already going to be
contested and complex.)
everyday life. In a hierophany the sacred is
witnessed as something absolutely different
from the profane. But crucially and
paradoxically, it is only ever through the
profane that the sacred manifests itself.
ject becomes something else, yet
it continues to remain itself, for it
continues to participate in its sur-
rounding cosmic milieu. A sacred
stone remains a stone; apparently
(or, more precisely, from the pro-
fane point of view), nothing distin-
guishes it from all other stones. But
for those to whom a stone reveals
itself as sacred, its immediate real-
ity is transmuted into supernatural
reality.
us in its grandeur and banality as a sacred
milieu to the very extent that it is not.
Sweeney's photos reveal that the place
apart is no distance from the way well
traveled. Of course, the word "paradise"
tells us to look up. But then again the word
"road" advises that we keep our feet on the
ground. If paradise is a place apart, road is
a way in common.
nature in its grand and overpowering