"Rose window" 2016

Curator: This photograph by Alfred Freddy Krupa, simply titled "Rose window", was taken in 2016. Immediately, I am struck by the strong geometric forms dominating the frame. Editor: It’s a monochrome world here. Stark, austere, almost… forbidding. It calls to mind old memories—structures whispering of a forgotten past and of ruin. The textures are key. Curator: The image utilizes this striking flower-shaped window as its focal point, overlaid against a decaying, or at least timeworn, building exterior. "Rose windows" have a potent legacy—their kaleidoscopic imagery speaks of divine love, seen in gothic architecture and then repurposed here in the photograph, albeit drained of color. Editor: I find it very evocative, despite the monochromatic presentation. Look how the stark black geometric grid divides and almost imprisons the windows beyond—the peeling paint further fractures the depth of the facade beyond. There's a palpable sense of entrapment within this rigidly ordered design, or perhaps a yearning. Curator: Rose windows often act as mediators—drawing light inwards, acting as ocular symbols, points of symbolic entry, here in a more derelict almost surreal architectural setting, offering perhaps a meditation on themes of transition and perhaps urban decay.. Editor: Indeed, even in grayscale, we can note the dramatic interplay of light and shadow; that bold contour gives rise to sharp contrasts. Those surrounding windows create an intricate visual tapestry—the pattern makes me consider the impact of repeated elements to build harmony. There is visual tension in the juxtaposition, I believe, that compels closer observation of the interplay of forms. Curator: I completely concur. The formal elements are crucial, certainly! However, the rose window holds within Western cultures deep iconographic significance, linked in sacred contexts to concepts of eternity, to divine completion...to the immanence of the divine made manifest. And note Krupa has drained that iconography of color so it is filtered and flattened here.. almost ironized and secularized in its use as aesthetic or decorative framing... it encourages questioning how traditional visual symbols shift when the context alters! Editor: The reduction of the vibrant spectrum into a single tone provides an emotional distancing that urges focus on the shape. Looking more closely, the imperfections and asymmetry hint at process, lending humanity and a quiet depth that wouldn't necessarily appear if looking more shallowly. It invites one to step forward and think for a moment about their own connection to it all, doesn’t it? Curator: Precisely! I leave our listeners considering Krupa’s lens and its ability to subtly transform a well known and historically rich emblem and facade motif. Editor: Agreed. A great photograph capable of provoking multiple perspectives!