Saturday, January 3, 2015

Sunset over the Avvisatore

Sunset over the Avvisatore, port of Livorno
“Nobody of any real culture, for instance, ever talks nowadays about the beauty of a sunset. Sunsets are quite old-fashioned. They belong to the time when Turner was the last note in art. To admire them is a distinct sign of provincialism of temperament. Upon the other hand they go on. Yesterday evening Mrs. Arundel insisted on my going to the window, and looking at the glorious sky, as she called it. She is one of those absurdly pretty Philistines to whom one can deny nothing. And what was it? It was simply a very second-rate Turner, a Turner of a bad period, with all the painter's worst faults exaggerated and overemphasised.”
(Oscar Wilde, The Decay of Lying, 1889)

See also: Pink Sky - Easter Eve - The Looming Tower
External links: The Decay of Lying: Truth or Fallacy? (The Victorian Web)

17 comments:

Michelle said...

VP, you really captured a photograph of immense quality here. Spectacular color.

Lowell said...

Well, Oscar Wilde was wrong. This is spectacular and great fun to look at as it really washes over the Avvisatore making it gleam as if freshly cleaned in the early evening!

Luis Gomez said...

I do know how much you love sunsets! ;)

cieldequimper said...

I just saw a Turner today. Ah but Oscar, some sunsets are just too good to be true. This is one of them.

William Kendall said...

Mr. Wilde was mistaken. Sunsets are gorgeous. This one qualifies!

Randy said...

Beautiful glow.

Gunn said...

Perfect!

Dina said...

Photo--wonderful light.
Quotation--pretty funny.

VP said...

As explained in the link below, Oscar Wilde wrote these words as a part of a mock-debate about aestheticism. Do not take them too seriously...

Karl said...

A golden shot, VP ! I like it !

Unknown said...

Fabulous light! Great shot.

Birdman said...

Now that's a sky!

RedPat said...

It's beautiful, Mr Wilde!

EG CameraGirl said...

The silhouette is stunning against that lovely sky!

Jack said...

I never read Oscar Wilde's words about sunset before. They are terrific and wonderfully matched to your photograph.

Arianna said...

Magnifico...ciao, Arianna

Stefan Jansson said...

When I started digital photography I took a lot of sunset photos but those day are over.