Jodie Hulden – Pines and Fog

In Hulden’s Black and White landscape I find myself getting lost.  I am lost in a world of harmony, of where the elements fit together perfectly and form a serenity with their bonding.  It feels that nothing is out of place, a natural world in union with itself, a kinship born through nature, of where the trees, bushes and flowers are forming a fellowship of wonder.

It is this sense of harmony that creates an impression of beauty within the landscape.  There are not the usual tropes of beauty, such as balance and symmetry but is instead created by the atmosphere of the landscape.  It is a sense of beauty given to the viewer by the means of communicating restfulness, a scene that doesn’t challenge the view of the world that is harmonious.  Indeed, I am reminded of Ansel Adams and his never ending ambition to produce landscapes which fit together, to display a world supporting itself in a structure, a world that was created, either through God or natural selection, I do not know which. 

And yet I find myself asking the question, could I tire of looking at such a scene?  Can the landscape of peace and harmony have the longevity to maintain my interest?  I find that it can because it appeals to my sense of taste so strongly., but there is a caveat.  I like the image, I like the texture, I like the composition and I like the format, but the lack of conflict within the photograph leaves me reluctant to truly fall in love with the image.  Everything fits, everything works as it should and is a scene of harmonious wildness, a natural system working with itself to support itself.  It plays its hand too strongly with the harmony, the sense of beauty encapsulating the wonder of the natural world.

But there is no contrast.  The problem with heaven is that without hell, heaven becomes meaningless.  The sense of beauty is unchallenged, it suggests that there is no limit to the wonder of the world, but without the opposite being present, then it loses its meaning.  It becomes normal to see the beauty within the harmony, it becomes ordinary to see the union of the world working as one, and when this becomes normal it then looses its specialness.  It stops being unusual to see the wonder of the world and ultimately it becomes bland and uninteresting.

I will quite happily call myself a fan of Jodie Hulden and it is an amazing photograph, one that I would happily hang on my wall.  I will be quite content to lose myself in the world of beauty and enjoy the exquisite texture of the scene.  But this will be tinged with elements of sadness informed by the knowledge that I am looking at a dream, a reality that that will ultimately loose it appeal and its attraction.