17 Comments

Thank you for sharing your memories of Charlie along with his photographs, all in one place. I recognized a few that you'd shared before. He was a great photographer, and I wish I could have met him. The photo of the boulder is my favorite. The reflection, and the geometry are captivating.

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A great tribute!

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Lovely memories and photos.

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"surpassingly beautiful." Yes. Can't take one's eyes off of them.

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Stunning photography, momentous geography. Staggering loss.

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Beautiful. Charlie has such a lucid and singular vision.

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RIP Professor Charlie Gross /\ /\ /\

I'm happy that I am related to the discoverer of face neurons (my Gross number is 2: Gross ---> Albright ---> posina :-)

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Breathtaking images! Thank you for sharing them and your memories. Would be amazing to see these pictures on exhibit at a museum or gallery.

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A lovely meander with you back thru the world thru the eyes of Charlie and his camera. thank you so. Yet ... i have to offer this: when you say: "I am sorry now ..."; i cannot help but remind you of what you already know: time is a trickster. What is this "now" from which you regret the you who you were in the past? regret is a distorting mirror thru which we see ourselves yet again, but with less accuracy. Lets not look into the mirror of regret if we can help it. likely it is me being pollyanna-ish, but can't that the same emotion surface in the opposite way, "i am pleased, now, to find i can better appreciate the value that he found in those travels to destinations we did not share, something i was unable to do at the time but is fresh yet again in his photos. Now i see it even more clearly ..."

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What beautiful photographs and what a beautiful essay. As a photographer, Charlie would have loved the way your face catches the light. And it's impossible not to love his amazing sense of adventure. Thanks for writing this, Joyce!

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Even though Charlie Gross was a neuroscientist he seemed to take the “non-visual” approach to art that emphasizes literal narratives that convey meaning about culture and society rather than emphasizing the “visual” narrative, an approach that involves investigation of the psychological (sensory) process the takes place in the human mind whereby “significant form” evokes “aesthetic emotion” in the viewer.

Despite “formalism” being among the four or five major art theories, my inquiry into needed explanation of the human faculty which allows the viewer to appreciate the manner in which the artist arranges visual elements in the work, including lines, colors, shapes, textures, and values, using principles including rhythm, repetition, contrast, and balance -- which might be called "visual intelligence" -- never produces results.

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Thank you for sharing the memories and beautiful photography. The words and images shine.

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