The picture shows Pont Alexandre III spanning the River Seine in Paris. On the left bank is the Eiffel Tower, which was built at the time of the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889, and in the sky above is the rigid airship that made its first successful flight the following year. Both symbolize the city’s fast-paced modernization. And yet, instead of showing bustling energy, the scene possesses a strange tranquility. While this is partly due to the cohesion of the composition, with its vertical elements like towers and churches and horizontal elements like the river, bridge and airship, that is not the only reason. It also stems from the gentle suppression of light and dark contrast achieved through the use of Maniere Noir, a technique involving countless closely set parallel lines to create texture.
(Minamishima Ko)
The picture shows Pont Alexandre III spanning the River Seine in Paris. On the left bank is the Eiffel Tower, which was built at the time of the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889, and in the sky above is the rigid airship that made its first successful flight the following year. Both symbolize the city’s fast-paced modernization. And yet, instead of showing bustling energy, the scene possesses a strange tranquility. While this is partly due to the cohesion of the composition, with its vertical elements like towers and churches and horizontal elements like the river, bridge and airship, that is not the only reason. It also stems from the gentle suppression of light and dark contrast achieved through the use of Maniere Noir, a technique involving countless closely set parallel lines to create texture.
(Minamishima Ko)