June 26, 2022 • 50

LAPC #205: The Eyes Have It

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” – Marcel Proust

One of the best parts of traveling is learning how to see the world through a different pair of “eyes.” By this I mean, your perspective shifts and you begin to understand how other societies, other cultures have functioned and thrived for thousands of years. But in some ways, we have discovered that so much of the human experience is universal, including our expressions and moods, often revealed in our eyes.

Inspired by Tina’s wonderful theme this week, I’ve collected a diverse series of photos which highlight the eyes.

I discovered DaVinci’s portrait on a quiet street in the Oltrarno section of Florence. This portrait, drawn by Blub, a famous European street artist, highlights the deep and penetrating eyes this artistic genius and inventor beneath scuba goggles. (Blub’s trademark feature.). I am always hunting for more of Blub’s work throughout the city.

I captured these “seeing hands” in the Intuit Center in Chicago, a museum for self-taught folk artists. I’m still wondering what the artist was trying to say in this sculpture!

I couldn’t resist re-posting this image of a glass eye ring–probably the strangest ring I’ve ever seen! We were visiting the Houdini Museum in New York City, when I noticed this ring on the finger of one of the museum guides. He said it was custom made by a man who specialized in making glass eyes…no surprise there!

On a trip to New York City, I noticed this beautiful woman’s eyes and smile. I had to take her photo.

This last image is by the portrait artist Antonia Comi, whose work I greatly admire. The eyes in this portrait reveal so much about this man–his fear and vulnerability. But I think there’s courage there, too.

If you’d like to see more of her work, her site on Instagram is Antonia Comi (@antonia_comi).

It’s true that the eyes are a window to our emotions, and some say, to the soul. It’s fascinating to see how much the eyes reveal in public and private moments and in art. A special thanks to Tina for hosting this week’s wonderful challenge. Be sure to visit Tina’s site to see her photos, which are stunning. We’re looking forward to seeing your collection of “eye-catching” photos. (Thanks, Tina for that one!) Please remember to link your responses to Tina’s, and to use the Lens-Artists tag. And more thanks go to Sylvia Bacon for guest hosting last week’s Doors/Doorways challenge. I enjoyed your terrific responses.

Next month, we are continuing our summer tradition at Lens-Artists of inviting several talented guest hosts to present our July challenges.  We’re sharing their themes in advance and inviting you to join us in the coming weeks.  They are:

July 2, Aletta Crouse of Now at Home is focusing on Treasures.

July 9, Jez Braithwaite of Photos by Jez is Seeing Double.

July 16, Andre of My Blog–Solaner is thinking about Summer Vibes.

July 23, Tracy, who posts at Reflections of an Untidy Mind, has chosen Surrealism.

July 30, Sarah Wilkie, who hosts Travel with Me, asks you to share Three Favorite Images.

We invite you to check out their diverse and intriguing blogs and hope you’ll join us throughout July. The Lens-Artists team will be back in August.  

Once again, I hope you have a safe, healthy and inspiring week!

Categories: LENS-ARTISTS, Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

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50 replies »

  2. Not surprisingly Patti, a wonderful collection of eyes – except the glass eye ring which REALLY creeps me out !!!!! I loved the DaVinci example and admit I’d not heard of Blub. Is he/she mainly in Italy? Also loved your NYC woman – beautiful indeed.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • That ring…yes, I completely agree. And the owner of it was so matter of fact! Yes, it’s a glass eyeball, but still!! Blub is based in Florence, but his work appears throughout Europe. That NYC woman had such a beautiful smile, didn’t she? Thanks for a great theme this week, Tina. Great inspiration.

      Liked by 1 person

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  3. Pingback: LAPC #205: The Eyes Have It — P.A. Moed – chazrothmsg

  8. Wonderful set of photos you have here. The portrait of the lady with the tray is such a wonderful happy photo!
    I love the street art in Firenze, they are wonderfully humorous takes on high culture. Blub’s doing well

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    • Ah yes, Margaret. We’re both Blub fans. Glad you like the ring and seeing hands. 😀😀. They’re out of the ordinary. Have a great week, and thanks so much for your insightful comments–as always.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  12. I love all your images, naturally, but what especially resonated with me in this post was your opening paragraph about the benefits of travel – it says everything that I feel about travelling 🙂

    Like

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