Alley Reflection 

Dan Graziano's "Alley Reflection" captures a modern cityscape with a profound gaze, revealing the image of a deep puddle reflecting the sky. The mirroring of reality in the water’s surface is an ancient motif, reminiscent of Narcissus gazing at his own reflection, a symbol of self-awareness but also of dangerous self-absorption. This symbol of reflection has been interpreted as truth and illusion and has recurred through art history. Looking at how artists of the Renaissance employed the mirror as a tool, the reflection motif becomes a method for exploring themes of vanity, knowledge, and the mysteries of the self. In Graziano's contemporary work, we see these elements of historical self-consciousness, and also the urban world, as a reflection that challenges our understanding of reality. The puddle also contains an element of urban life, like the city’s sky and electric wires, offering us a glimpse of the heavens.