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This very afternoon I went in to Paris to catch up with a friend from a distant country who was passing through on vacation with his significant other, (more soon on that), for a stroll in Père Lachaise cemetery and a meal afterwards in the Latin Quarter. But before meeting up with them in the late afternoon I stopped to take a look in the small Belleville Cemetery in northeastern Paris which I had never taken the time to go explore before today. Another of the many quietly hidden treasures of Paris. Two polished black marble stones caught my eye while wandering there, both for the poignancy of the stories they told of souls departed too soon from this world, but also for the reflections playing on those dark surfaces. That black stone can reflect such a blue sky so clearly, well, light and all its miracles never fail to amaze me. And reflections on the weekend always merit a connection with James Weekend Reflections.
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One year I visited some of the cemeteries in France, and I was touched by all of the pictures and noter family moments that were either engraved on the headstone of lying beside it. It made me feel as if their spirits were alive. Your photos reminded me so much of those visits. genie
ReplyDeleteApart from your brilliant 'seeing' and photograph, it is just very sad, speaking of war and The Resistance. I lived through that time and the poignancy of this brought tears to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, almost startling, how those portraits are so full of life, accented as they are by the dark stone and brilliant sky reflected there. How well they've stood the test of time. Amazing how they touch our hearts, strangers' hearts, to this day. It's the sky's reflection, creating and cradling the juxtaposition of today and yesteryear that truly adds another dimension to the sentiment and scene. There is a suggestion of life eternal in the trees reaching skyward.
ReplyDeleteI've come to love these portraits on headstones. They help one to better imagine the life that is now gone and bring greater poignancy to the loss.
ReplyDeleteRegrets eternels... that says it all.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Owen. Capturing all that life in the dark stones makes for a poignant study.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I am drawn to cemeteries but I have not made it to this one yet. The black marble makes an artistic reflection of the skies and clouds. These two died too early and did not see their share of this earthly beauty.
ReplyDeleteThe portraits on the stones are poignant indeed.
Bises,
Genie
I once loved to browse cemeteries until one day I found a stone that gave the date of the man's birth the same as mine and the woman's birth the same as my husband. I blocked the dates of their deaths from my mind. Thank God !!!
ReplyDeleteMay they not be forgotten. Thoughtful the name twice on the first.
ReplyDeletePlease have a good new week ahead.
Beautiful photos, thoughtful observations. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt's sad enough to die at age 22 but to die during wartime is indeed an eternal regret.
ReplyDeletePhotos of the high standard we've come to expect on your blog Owen. Well done - nice capture.
ReplyDeleteOn your blog is the first place I've encountered these photographic portraits incorporated into headstones. It is quite startling because most graves are so anonymous unless you are family or friend. It reminds one to live life to the fullest and to appreciate your friends, family, co-workers, community, and the world at large...
ReplyDeleteces deux photos sont très émouvantes mon owen adoré ! merci de nous faire partager tant d'émotion ...
ReplyDeleteénorme bisou à toi et à ta grenouille
«Louis» regrets that when he lived in Paris, he never visited this fabulous cemetery.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting San Francisco Bay Daily Photo.
Les deux Georges. Father and son? Always sad to find the young on headstones. Portraits are quite common here in NZ on more modern headstones. I love the painterly quality of the reflections particularly on the Georges' headstone. It reminds me of the Rudderstone's reflections in the Wellington Botanic Gardens.
ReplyDeleteUn nom et un prénom à jamais gravé dans la pierre... enfin... jusqu'à ce qu'il y reste...!!!
ReplyDeleteC'est quand même difficile de voir celui des siens, de celles et ceux qu'on a aimé apparaître en relief sur ces pierres...
Tu marquerais quoi toi cher Owen ?
A notre regretté cher Blogueur qui aimait la rouille et le lancer d'artichaut ?... :-)
Quant à moi... je te laisse imaginer... A notre amateur de tisanes et scrounch scrounch scrounch ?... :-)
Amitiés l'ami Owen... et à très très tard pour une gravure dans la pierre !!! :-)
Bises
this first photo is stunning, life and death united and transcended in the blue of the sky, beyond suffering... the fact that the image is that of a child is all the more poignant...
ReplyDeletebreathless, again!
Good Morning my friend Owen!!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while :) I was thinking it's time to reflect for a change and here I am!!
How are you doing?
Are you perhaps in a holiday mood and do you need a reason to come to South Africa? :)
I'm getting married in 2 months and you are invited!! now you think what kind of wedding invite is this? we are still sorting out the Wedding Venue so i couldnt send out the invitations yet!
greetings from South Africa
Desi
You have a great eye to notice those reflections. Especially because considering where they are, they have a very eerie quality to them.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea to push the contrast to the point where reflections become clearly visible. They definitely give the tombstones another dimension.
ReplyDelete