The Power of Light

A Brief Meditation on Light and Shadow

Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer, 1665

Vermeer is considered—revered—by many as the perfect painter to study when it comes to lighting. He is the meester van schaduw en licht. His portraits glow, bringing a touch of heaven to both the common and wealthy of earth. He’s a true gift, he doesn’t fill his canvas with blaring colors. His work would have been diminished, had he had access to the technology of our day. Were he not sitting in 17th century homes in a country where winters could be brutal, driving homes to be compact with windows small and few and good lighting hard to come by, days short and nights long, had he not lived with yearly famines of light and feasts of shadow, had he not lived with this constant deprivation, he would not have dealt so delicately and with reverence the gift of light and the strong balance of shadow. Had he been born in another time as a jazz musician, his playing would have breathed with space and quiet, strong phrasing, and the notes he did not play would have nearly as much weight and power as the notes he did.

Light has the power to reveal. We talk of bringing truth to light, of bringing wrongdoing to the light of day. We generally agree that these are dark days we are living through. We may disagree completely what the monsters are, of what their nature consists, but we nearly all hear something beyond the reach of light, behind that thick, velvety curtain of concealment. There are always a few oblivious souls who refuse to see the monster even as it breathes on them.

The Village, 2004

Light can conceal as well. What can you see if, while driving on a two-lane road at night, an oncoming car bright-lights you? Nothing. I learned in the military how to use lighting so that the building I’m in can’t be seen very well, but the occupants of the building have a clear vision of the areas outside the building. Hiding behind the light is easy if the light itself is powerful enough and properly oriented.

Sometimes we say of some person or information that it’s “hiding in plain sight.” In the clear light of day a person may hide in plain sight simply by getting into a crowd and changing a few items of clothing that conceal eyes and hair, and adapting their posture and gait. Information may be concealed by burying it in an ocean of accessible data, or by giving the press release at a day and time of lowest viewership. It helps if the next day is the start of a hot news cycle; false but provocative stories may be released to draw attention away from the more sensitive or damning previous release. Every PR manager needs to have a little David Copperfield in him.

Serial killer Ed Kemper is a good example of a person hiding in plain sight. He was familiar with the officers investigating his murders, he frequented the same watering hole and chatted them up regularly. When he finally confessed they thought he was joking.

Light can comfort. Have you ever had a horrible night, one where nothing was going well, where perhaps things got dicey, dangerous even? As a truck driver I had plenty of those. It is human nature that the same difficulties faced at night evoke more fear, anxiety, apprehension. Facing snow storms at night was exceptionally stressful. Everything I did seemed to take longer and each obstacle seemed larger, more intimidating. My emotions were always ready to challenge my reason and intellect for control. Occasionally they won; those were particularly hard nights. I was always greatly relieved at the first, pre-dawn lightening of the sky.

The interplay of light and dark can set a tone. A whole film genre has set it’s visual style on the lighting. Film noir always has as much shadow as light, raising the drama by obscuring action in shadow, allowing imaginations to run wild. Shot in black and white at a time when that was the norm for film, classic film noir drew on pulp crime novels of the 1940’s and 1950’s. A detective, a crime and a femme fatale were classic tropes. Get beneath the obvious cliches and what you find is the seedy side of life on the other side of the tracks; real life, especially for post-war Europeans living in cities and villages struggling to rebuild amongst, crime, graft, greed and eroding morals. During the war “good” girls had gone “bad” out of desperation—hunger, loss of their families and support structure, and I’m sure some were pressed into prostitution then as they are today.

These post-war themes found their way into American cinema, often translated into G.I’s returning home who hadn’t adjusted, down on their luck, drinking a little too much. Sometimes such a man might be employed and exploited, framed, by a wealthy person. Perhaps the G.I. was the detective, trying to conquer his own post-war demons and fend off the femme fatale and solve the case. Usually there were morals to the stories.

Plots in film noir could be much wider that of course. One thing worth mentioning, film noir, because it drew heavily on cheap pulp novels, had elements of sexuality and violence the Legion of Decency and the Motion Picture Association of America would not have allowed to be depicted. However, a smart director using the tools of film noir could imply plenty, and imply they did.

Cynicism and stoicism run deep in noir, as do moral ambiguity and a sense of being unable to escape one’s fate. It is no wonder, then, that as Hollywood began to get a sense in the broadest terms of GenX, neo-noir floated to the surface throughout the ‘90s and into the 2000’s. Likewise in graphic novels, and the crossovers with The Crow franchise and Frank Miller’s Sin City movies which, unfortunately, show much more than classic noir do.

Light has the power to grow life, but some things only thrive in the dark. Mushrooms, certain insects, fish adapted to the deepest sea, nocturnal predators. Many of these creatures have the appearance of an inhabitant of nightmares. Many of these have influenced makers of horror movies, supplying the imagination of writers with otherworldly creatures. But the truth is, despite their appearances, they fit in this world’s eco-system.

Fireflies in Georgia

The place where light and dark meet is rich with gifts for one willing to take the time. In Alabama that’s when the fireflies come out. At my folks’, sundown during the warm months meant a walk up the hill behind, catching the road that runs up into the firs to the city cemetery. At the edge of the treeline, as is typical, was a stand of oaks protecting the firs, with their more shallow root systems, from wind and weather. As the sun sets in the warmer months, the flying insects came out, especially the mosquitos. With the mosquitos came the bats. I had no idea until I began researching; Oregon has fifteen species of bats. The bats I so loved to watch feed late in the evening as the sun sets, on the edge of darkness, on the edge of the forest.

The places where light and shadow meet in the natural world are the most productive places in nature. On the edge of forests, smaller fruit-bearing trees, shrubs, and fruit-generating canes such as blackberries thrive. Edges of creeks here in Western Oregon are often teeming with blackberries. Permaculture seeks to accelerate what nature does on its own by creating more edges with the use swales and contoured lines. Water is directed down the gently curving, undulating lines of the valley the swale makes; vegetation is planted on top of the swales if full sun is desired and lower if it’s not. There’s much more to it.

Today, social media is a very dark place. There are no trustworthy organizations to do the delicate and minimal pruning and protecting that needs to be done. Truth can absolutely be found there, but it is usually buried beneath metric tons of opinion. Most claims on social media do not rise to the level of truth. I include myself in this. We are all poorly train in Logic and as a result do not know how to propose a proper argument or recognize a fallacious one. Logic is the laws of correct reasoning. If you like headaches, chase modern methods of Logic—like the demons they are Legion. I will stick with Aristotelian Logic, or as close as I can. Brother Maluf taught "Philosophia Perennis” at the St. Benedict Center for years. The mp3’s are from the 1980’s, converted from tape. Given their beginning, they’re of good quality.

The relationship between women and men is as dark a place as any. The good news about this, in that much darkness, anything true will stand out like a blowtorch if you have spent some time honing your mind for truth. If you have the appetite, it’s much easier to recognize items that should be on the menu.

Anywhere you find beauty, truth, and goodness is a great place to find light of sorts. Many of us find that in Nature, or with animals—out with dirt and plants and critters is another way to look at that. For me, just getting out in the yard to watch the squirrels and hear the birds, and watch the crow hop around can be enough. Or getting out under the stars for a short while.

Another is music. Classical music definitely stimulates the intellect. Gregorian chant speaks to the soul. Modern music speaks more to our lower faculties. Understand and consider that, contemplate it. What do you put on in the gym? Probably the same kinds of things as soldiers getting ready to go to war. Luther? Don’t lie to me, now, every generation has their version, and we know what it’s for. AC/DC and George Thoroughgood are NOT high on the recommendation list at AA.

When you can look at a dog and see what he is in his nature and appreciate those qualities—even a Pug!—you are doing what I am talking about.

Photo by Kara Kupfer on Unsplash

Puggy Idol lookin’ for a White Wedding.

Ciao!