There is a religious Hallelujah, but there are many other ones [….] When one looks at the world, there’s only one thing to say, and it’s Hallelujah. That’s the way it is.” ― Leonard Cohen, The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, and the Unlikely Ascent of Hallelujah

For most subject matter experts, abstract art is a visual language that is composed based on shapes, forms, colors, and lines in order to create subjects that may be independent of a visual reference in the “real world”.

Specifically for black and white abstract photography,  I’d say that shapes, forms, lines, and light are the key ingredients of this genre, and for me probably light is the most critical one.

If we acknowledge that abstraction is the process through which a photographer carefully eliminate some information within the frame and emphasize some other, in my book the best way to do so is playing with chiaroscuros — which in art is defined as the use of strong contrasts between light and dark.

This photograph is my attempt to create a visually enticing image using the abstract-photography principle of creating strong contrasts between light and dark which, in my opinion, allows the viewer to focus on just the part of the subject that conveys the message I wanted to, a message about the deification that usually goes through the notes getting out of this massive musical instrument.

In the other hand, the image’s title Hallelujah alludes not to the traditional religious ode, but it’s a Hallelujah to the world, to the sinners, to the broken people, to real humans in fact (inspired from Leonard Cohen´s Hallelujah).

p.s. the location for this images is the Saint Patrick Cathedral in NYC.

I do appreciate your comments and suggestions. If you are interested in silver gelatin limited edition prints of my photos, please don’t hesitate to contact me to enrique.pelaez.houston@gmail.com

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