Saturday, September 18, 2010

Istanbul Noir: Byzantine mysteries in shadow and light




Aya Sofia



Underground Cistern Cafe - Yerebatan Sarnici

Ship-wrecked figures on a raft, in complete darkness, with only the phosphorescence of the ocean waves breaking the ink-black of the pictures; in the distance, the fluctuating light of a lighthouse
The effect of passing auto headlights on the ceiling of a dark interior
Fluctuating neon or other electric signs
The light of a passing streetcar on an otherwise dark street
The hanging light on the ceiling of a cheap gambling joint
Searchlights of prisons or concentration camps
Flashes of guns in absolute darkness
The opening and closing of a refrigerator that has a light inside, in a dark kitchen
The well-known streetlamp. 
John Alton (1949) , Painting with Light, p 47-48