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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Seventeen: Memories in Metal and Stone: How monuments, sculpture, and tombs express ideas. > Façade, The Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium, 2005
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07-JUN-2005

Façade, The Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium, 2005

These soot covered goddesses holding gilded horns have graced the façade of this ornate guild house for the last 300 years. I spot-metered the vividly colored flag (probably a banner of a trade association) and allowed the statues, façade, and dramatically reflective windows to go dark. The building is a historical treasure, and should look as old as it is, while the flag appears to be brand new – symbolizing the dynamic present.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
1/250s f/4.0 at 72.0mm iso80 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time07-Jun-2005 20:20:04
MakePanasonic
ModelDMC-FZ20
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length72 mm
Exposure Time1/250 sec
Aperturef/4
ISO Equivalent80
Exposure Bias-1.00
White Balance (10)
Metering Modemulti spot (3)
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Programprogram (2)
Focus Distance

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Phil Douglis12-Nov-2005 19:53
Thanks, PA, for this comment. This picture does the things you say it does because of how I've been able to abstract the statues and facade. The flag is very much in the present, while the building, with its haunting reflections, and soot blackened statues, fades back into the past. And that's why the scene feels so timeless -- because of that contrast.
PA 12-Nov-2005 15:54
Phil, This burnished facade of these guild houses, like many other buildings of the Grand' Place, has something dramatic, almost theatrical, and as you mentioned the bright colourful flags emphasize that aspect. We can almost imagine the reflections in the windows of the departed tradesmen who frequented these buildings since 1700. The "darkness" of the buildings adds to the character of the beautiful Grand' Place I had the opportunity to visit a while ago. That place where people gather for festivals, the bird market on Sundays, or in the numerous cafes, is almost timeless. I should add that it is gorgeous in winter time.
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