In 2000, Darren Almond (UK, 1971) began a series of colour photographs, known as the Fullmoons. The first of these, titled Fifteen Minute Moon, was an experiment: to see what would result from photographing a moonlit landscape using an extended time exposure. He shot his first Fullmoon photograph on a trip near the Montagne Sainte Victoire in France, which was inspiration for much of Cézanne’s last paintings. Almond continued the series by travelling to solitary sites that had inspired artists and writers such as Turner, Constable, Caspar David Friedrich and John Ruskin. By using only the moon as a source of light and an extensive exposure time, he creates meditative landscapes that bear a mysterious and lyrical atmosphere.
Almond’s new Fullmoons capture in an indisputable yet uncanny beauty the Huang Shan region in the Anhui province of China. Almond was especially drawn to the Yellow Mountain range, also known as Xihai or Huang Shan, with its magnificent peaks and canyons as well as extraordinary natural sites of Chinese spiritualism. Often translated into traditional Chinese landscape painting – which is generally called Shan Shui, or mountain and water – Huang Shan was first depicted in 1646 by Jiang Tao, who became later the Zen monk Hongren. After travelling extensively in southern China, Hongren was most impressed by the isolated Yellow Mountain area. He developed a unique style of landscape with his sharp and angular brushstrokes.
In 2000, Almond began a series of colour photographs, known as the Fullmoons. The first of these, titled Fifteen Minute Moon, was an experiment: to see what would result from photographing a moonlit landscape using an extended time exposure. He shot his first Fullmoon photograph on a trip near the Montagne Sainte Victoire in France, which was inspiration for much of Cézanne’s last paintings. Almond continued the series by travelling to solitary sites that had inspired artists and writers such as Turner, Constable, Caspar David Friedrich and John Ruskin. By using only the moon as a source of light and an extensive exposure time, he creates meditative landscapes that bear a mysterious and lyrical atmosphere.
Almond’s new Fullmoons capture in an indisputable yet uncanny beauty the Huang Shan region in the Anhui province of China. Almond was especially drawn to the Yellow Mountain range, also known as Xihai or Huang Shan, with its magnificent peaks and canyons as well as extraordinary natural sites of Chinese spiritualism. Often translated into traditional Chinese landscape painting – which is generally called Shan Shui, or mountain and water – Huang Shan was first depicted in 1646 by Jiang Tao, who became later the Zen monk Hongren. After travelling extensively in southern China, Hongren was most impressed by the isolated Yellow Mountain area. He developed a unique style of landscape with his sharp and angular brushstrokes.
In 2000, Almond began a series of colour photographs, known as the Fullmoons. The first of these, titled Fifteen Minute Moon, was an experiment: to see what would result from photographing a moonlit landscape using an extended time exposure. He shot his first Fullmoon photograph on a trip near the Montagne Sainte Victoire in France, which was inspiration for much of Cézanne’s last paintings. Almond continued the series by travelling to solitary sites that had inspired artists and writers such as Turner, Constable, Caspar David Friedrich and John Ruskin. By using only the moon as a source of light and an extensive exposure time, he creates meditative landscapes that bear a mysterious and lyrical atmosphere.
Almond’s new Fullmoons capture in an indisputable yet uncanny beauty the Huang Shan region in the Anhui province of China. Almond was especially drawn to the Yellow Mountain range, also known as Xihai or Huang Shan, with its magnificent peaks and canyons as well as extraordinary natural sites of Chinese spiritualism. Often translated into traditional Chinese landscape painting – which is generally called Shan Shui, or mountain and water – Huang Shan was first depicted in 1646 by Jiang Tao, who became later the Zen monk Hongren. After travelling extensively in southern China, Hongren was most impressed by the isolated Yellow Mountain area. He developed a unique style of landscape with his sharp and angular brushstrokes.
In 2000, Almond began a series of colour photographs, known as the Fullmoons. The first of these, titled Fifteen Minute Moon, was an experiment: to see what would result from photographing a moonlit landscape using an extended time exposure. He shot his first Fullmoon photograph on a trip near the Montagne Sainte Victoire in France, which was inspiration for much of Cézanne’s last paintings. Almond continued the series by travelling to solitary sites that had inspired artists and writers such as Turner, Constable, Caspar David Friedrich and John Ruskin. By using only the moon as a source of light and an extensive exposure time, he creates meditative landscapes that bear a mysterious and lyrical atmosphere.
Almond’s new Fullmoons capture in an indisputable yet uncanny beauty the Huang Shan region in the Anhui province of China. Almond was especially drawn to the Yellow Mountain range, also known as Xihai or Huang Shan, with its magnificent peaks and canyons as well as extraordinary natural sites of Chinese spiritualism. Often translated into traditional Chinese landscape painting – which is generally called Shan Shui, or mountain and water – Huang Shan was first depicted in 1646 by Jiang Tao, who became later the Zen monk Hongren. After travelling extensively in southern China, Hongren was most impressed by the isolated Yellow Mountain area. He developed a unique style of landscape with his sharp and angular brushstrokes.
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