Welcome to the beautiful world of ombromanie… !
Shadowgraphy or Ombromanie is the art
of performing a story, using images created by hands onto a blank screen. Movement of hands and fingers help to give the shadows a character and bring them to life. It is hard to say when the art was first used
by humans for entertainment. According to Wiki, it became popular in Europe in the 19th Century..
The best time to shoot such
silhouettes are in evening's twilight, at
dusk, at nightfall, … to put it accurately, between sundown and day's end, when
the centre of the sun reaches 6° below horizon. "L'heure bleue" as
the French call it----a moment that is both romantic and ghostly. Some prefer to film it a little later at night - when only the final shadows raise the chimera
of light....I read some wonderful articles on 'ombromanie' recently.
‘Let Calcutta Surprise You! ' showcases the historic city of Kolkata….The following videos will take you through the City of
Joy! They cover mostly the historical places, architectural landmarks, icons
and places of social importance of Kolkata. By no means, the descriptions are exhaustive.
…So, go through the videos and enjoy the mind blowing creativity...
Note--Don’t miss the old Howrah Bridge, Victoria Memorial,
Maidan with its vendors selling spicy jhaal-moori, people gobbling puchkhaas (gol-gappas); banks
of Hoogly river; Tagore, Mother Teresa, Sourav Ganguly; Mexican Waves at Eden Garden; Calcutta Trams and many more things....
"Let Calcutta Surprise You"
Disclaimer: Videos courtesy YouTube...
"The Kolkata Literary Meet Anthem - 'Ei Patay Oi Patay'"
Facts and images from the net***
You know Panchali di ... I have always found this art very intriguing... As a little kid I used to try this but never got beyond a walking man ! :(
ReplyDeleteRajrupa...yes, even we, as kids used to make these figures. My uncle was excellent in making these images..I still remember :) Thanks for coming by...
Deletethis is so interesting...I still remember when there were powercuts I and my brother used to have a lot of fun making such shadow pics as kids.....:-)
ReplyDeleteYes Sreeja...According to the experts, a candle-light gives the accurate light to create these images! It's fun n interesting.....true :)) Thanks a lot :)
DeleteFor now I can get somewhere close to a dog that sometimes looks like a dinosaur! :) Interesting share and lo you have added one more word to my vocabulary here "Ombromanie" :D
ReplyDeleteJaish,
DeleteWell, that's quite an achievement...!! It's not easy to get accurate images. Keep trying, you'll master the art soon :)
"Ombromanie" is a new word for me too...:D
Thanks so much for coming by and sharing your thoughts....
Thanks for the great post..Nice to know about an interesting art form..:-)
ReplyDeleteNagini, I knew, you'd enjoy the post. Creativity involves more than just great ideas, it needs creative hands...and you have that!:)thanks for the words of appreciation... :)))))
DeleteWow...What ab art.So well explained and depicted thru images
ReplyDeleteHey Shipi...First of all let me tell you, that there's some problem with your comment settings. I tried to post comments twice on your blogs, but some mozilla e-mail verification is creating a bit of a problem. Can you disable that please!I so wanted to write a comment on your 'soakNoMore' entry...please do something about it. Enjoyed reading your entry very much :)
DeleteThanks for being here..am glad you enjoyed :)
..an amazing art indeed! Thank you Panchali for this intriguing and interesting post:)
ReplyDeleteAmit...I am glad you enjoyed!! It is indeed amazing...bless the bunch of youngsters who created the video :)Thanks Amit.
DeleteAmazing. Wikipedia rightly callos this "cinema in a silhouette".
ReplyDeleteSG...The artists need faith, hard work and a laser sharp focus for the end result...and what we see here is absolutely amazing :)
DeleteOh, yes...it is universally called 'cinema in silhouette'. Good that you also did some research. Do check out, you'll find many articles on this subject!
Thanks for your constant support, SG. Do visit again.
Thanks!
i remember as kids it was fun when the power used to go ... me and my sis would try to make all kinds of shapes ...though until today i was not aware its called as Shadowgraphy or Ombromanie. thanks for the wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteTTT, I’m sure we can all relate to moments when we felt stuck trying to tap into our own creativity....but, it is interesting to know, that there are a few people who have taken this as a performing art..:) Glad you enjoyed...
DeleteThanks for stopping by..
wow mam ,what an amazingly awesome post .....loved it....but as most of the people say i too never knew that it is also a form of art called as ombromanie .... indeed a great info gained ..... :) :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Vinisha...even I wasn't aware of this, until I read some articles on ombromanie..it is honestly interesting. I am thrilled so many readers enjoyed reading the post:)) It is encouraging...!!
DeleteThanks!!
Fascinating!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
Thank a lot, Deepak..:)Glad you enjoyed!
DeleteVery nice. I knew about this art, but didn't know the name.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing
I am not surprised,Ranjana.Being a creative person, so you must have also tried making these shadows as a kid...But, I am sooo pleased you got the name today!!So, my writing about it helped...it is flattering to say the least. Thank you.... :)
DeletePanchalidi, viewing the video literally gave me goosebumps..the howrah bridge, the boat sailing on the hoogly, the Durga idol and the dhakis, the puchkawala, the trum, Rabi Thakur, Dada, and the most outstanding was the Victoria Memorial..Such a splendid work..thanks Panchalididi for sharing it..I would love to watch a live show if they happen to do such shows..
ReplyDeleteRanita...You said it! Even I am waiting to see a live show. Must google and find out..:)) Glad you enjoyed the videos.Thank you for the visit and the understanding comment....:)
DeleteWOW.. unbelievable I seriously live in a weird world I tell you, beautiful video .. enjoyed the figures depicted and all
ReplyDeleteBikram's
Bikram...Indeed, it's unbelievable! But, why did you say, you stay 'in a weird world'..? I hope you are happy that I helped you learn something new !!1..:D
DeleteThanks for coming by....
Truly amazing. The advertisement of MP Tourism features this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rajesh...But, why should MP Tourism show City of Joy..? Must check out asap...
DeleteThanks for being here :)
When we were kids, we used to try shadow games :) Nice memories come back ...
ReplyDeletebtw the font was very difficult to read :(
Purnendu,
DeleteFirstly sorry about the fonts...:(
Normally, I avoid using these spl fonts, but since this was a small blog, so I used it this time. I shall be careful..
Yes, as kids apparently we all have played with shadows...shadow works look stranger than photo-shopped imagery and some of the most unbelievable, jaw-dropping images!Isn't it?
Glad this triggered old memories..Thanks for dropping by...
Calcutta surprised me..Awesome awesome video and believe me it is the best among all i have ever seen on You tube. Eden garden, sourav ganguly and then the bengal tiger, one after the other, left my eyes blink-void. Thanks for sharing information and video on this art. :)
ReplyDeleteAshish, Your exciting comment made me smile... Am thrilled to know that yu enjoyed :)) Thank you....tons !!:))
DeleteI'm so glad that you forgot about me.
ReplyDeleteAmazing video!
Thank you for sharing your information.
They are beautiful.
Lucia
Oh dear Lucja-Maria...You surely came back with a bang...!Cant help about it...! Uh huh...with age my memory is fading!!.. :))))
DeleteIts been long since I saw you on my space as well.---so, it's kind of mutual, u see, Lucja.But, your forgetfulness didn't make me happy/ glad---:(
I am more pleased than I can tell you that this post resonated with you...thank you:)
Haven't we seen this form in that Incredible India campaign for MP? I loved this form, and Kolkata is a city I'd love to visit some day. The font you have chosen for the post is a little distracting to me, but the subject was interesting :).
ReplyDeleteRachna,
DeleteSomehow, I'd missed that Incredible India campaign. But,saw it after Rajesh mentioned about the feature in his comment. It is indeed...Incredible....:)
Purnendu also mentioned about the font bit..I shall NEVER use it again :)))
Thanks for being here with your appreciation :)
Dear Panchalidi,
ReplyDeleteThis is a different post from you. And yes, shadowgraphy is an art in itself.
I had seen the Kolkata video and had loved it. Out of this world, like us :))
Thanks a lot, Ghaz...:)) You must have seen it like others. I read a few articles on shadowgraphy, hence thought of sharing :)hahaha.."like us..."--you said it, my dear :)
Deleteamazing post :) ... loved coming to your blog ...
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my space, Celestial Dreamz...:))
DeleteGood to see you here. Hope to see you more on these pages !!Thank you.
marvellous ...could nt resist myself watching the videos
ReplyDeleteGreat!! That was the sole purpose of the blog!! Thanks much, Gunjan :)
DeleteI have seen it in some movies, it is simply awesome. In fact I am also awed when someone paints their hands in shape of animals and birds. Thanks for sharing the videos.
ReplyDeleteThanks Saru !! I found the videos in the web and thought of sharing with you all here..;))It's incredible, isn't it?
DeleteThanks for the encouragement, my dear. Your comments inspire me so much. Thanks for being what you are...hugz
Whoaw, Panchali di .. the videos were mind blowing!! Thanks for the article!! :)
ReplyDeleteDo stop by my blog!! I'd love your visits & comments! - Kappu
Kappu...Thank you so much for your comment. It is so sweet of you.
DeleteI would love to read each and every blog of yours. It's just that I get delayed once in a while, my dear. Just read your marvelous blog on homemakers..kudos girl!!
Much love and hugs...
I know you will always be there for me too:))Thanks!!
This is truly amazing-what all; one can do with hands!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing-i am sending the link to my grand kid.