Friday, March 6, 2009

Thinking Africa

"Up in this high air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart. In the highlands you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be."

-Out of Africa, by Isak Dinesen

Often when we hear of Africa we think the political side of things; Darfur, Malaria, things like that. Africa's divine beauty and uncharted mysteries are often left behind and forgotten. Photographer Peter Beard and author Isak Dinesen come to mind when I think Africa. Both people convey Africa as a magical place - unique and all it's own. Broken is some ways - appreciated in many. Peter Beard is a man with an interesting background - In 1957 he entered Yale University as a pre-medical student, but perceiving humans as the main disease soon switched to art history. He went to Kenya and captured the scenery, the people, the animals, in a such a descriptive way; as did Isak Dinesen in her book. If Dinesen's novel paints a picture, Beard's photos tell a novel. His work was mostly predominant in the '70s, but exhibitions continued throughout the '90s.

















Image Source: Peterbeard