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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Nine: Juxtaposition – compare and contrast for meaning > Art imitates life, Petaluma, California, 2007
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12-JUN-2007

Art imitates life, Petaluma, California, 2007

Part of the 109 foot long Petaluma Heritage Mural, painted in 1998 by Steve Della Maggiora, makes a perfect backdrop for the real thing. By juxtaposing a live tree with a similar tree in the mural, I’ve tried to add both depth perspective and incongruity to the story.

Shortly after posting this image, I was delighted to receive the following pbase message from the artist himself:

" hey, Phil-

I turned up your gallery photo of the Petaluma Mural tree and the real one in a search of my name (something I do periodically to see what's up) and it's cool that you noticed the similarity between the two.

That was not a mistake. I used the real tree as a model for the painted one.

No one has ever mentioned it to me -- if they noticed, they never said anything about it.

Your photos are great. Carry on!

-steve della maggiora"

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Phil Douglis19-Feb-2008 19:17
It is always a joy to hear from you, Sun Han -- your response to this image tells me much about why I chose to make the image. Expression here owes much to the light, both painted and real.
Guest 19-Feb-2008 13:07
fable-like lighting bouncing from between the paint and the tree to the viewer of the photo. surreal, luring, enticing yet impasse
Phil Douglis29-Jan-2008 20:36
Thanks, Sofia, for seeing the poetry in this image -- to me, visual poetry often rests in echoes, rhyme, and rhythms. And this what is happening here between those trees, real and imagined. It is nice to know that this poetry is present in Steve's concept for the mural as well. The real tree was used as the model for the painted one.
Guest 29-Jan-2008 19:04
Beautiful Juxtaposition here, very poetical and filling with great perspective, V
Phil Douglis22-Jun-2007 17:42
I would call it whimsical, Ceci. In any event, as soon as I saw that tree and that mural, I knew it would make a perfect example of "compare and contrast" juxtaposition.
Guest 22-Jun-2007 17:05
This is totally, wonderfully, comic book-ily perfect! What an eye, to see these two trees, and manage to juxtapose them so well. It's almost a laugh-out-loud sort of scene, where the eye and mind can easily move back and forth between the living and the painted. One of the coolest of your images, in my opinion. Thanks for this treat!
Phil Douglis21-Jun-2007 19:20
Yes it is, Mo. Sometimes reflections make very good juxtapositions.
monique jansen21-Jun-2007 09:43
Almost like a reflection too
Phil Douglis19-Jun-2007 23:13
Thanks, Carol, for the compliment. Seeing is intuitive, but it is also honed with experience. The more we shoot, and learn from what we shoot, the more we learn, and utimately, the more we SEE.
Carol E Sandgren19-Jun-2007 21:40
I love how you SEE these things! Great example of juxtapositioning, Phil!
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