Memorial ..., a photo from Prague, Bohemia

Photographer's Note

Memorial to the victims of Communism (Pomn勛 obětem komunismu), ﾚjezd, Prague, September 23, 2008
The memorial (creators: Zdeněk Hzel, Jan Kerel, Olbram Zoubek), located at the base of Petř匤 hill, is dedicated to all victims, not only those who were jailed or executed but also those whose lives were ruined by totalitarian despotism. A bronze strip that runs along the centre of the memorial shows estimated numbers of those impacted by Communism in 1948-1989: 205,486 arrested, 170,938 forced into exile, 4,500 died in prison, 327 shot trying to escape, 248 executed.
Prior to the memorial being unveiled, there were reports in the local media about an apparent political row over who should attend the ceremony. President V當lav Havel, a leading dissident in the communist era was not invited until the last minute, and then declined to attend.The memorial has not been universally welcomed, with some artists saying the memorial is kitsch and others critical that female figures women were not included. One of the statues was damaged during two bomb blasts in 2003, no group has admitted carrying out the attacks.

bayno, krzychu30, timecapturer, Sonata11, macjake, bukitgolfb301, bukitgolfb301, edcone, kabel, clic has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

bayno (18348) 2012-08-27 20:47

Ciao Gregg,
a theme of which we don't talk much, you have done well to remember, Russia is trying to cover up many of his harassment, such as the Katyn massacre in Poland, very nice though sad statues, great shot...
regards,
Valter

krzychu30 (15512) 2012-08-27 23:48

Witaj Grzegorz,
przejmujacy i jednoczesnie bardzo mocny w swoim przekazie pomnik ofiar komunizmu.
Co sie tyczy samego zdjecia,to tak jak w przypadku twoich zdjec z Gruzji jestem zachwycony ogolna saturacja kolorow,ich kontrastem.Efekt jest naprawde niesamowity.Wyglada troche jak HDR.Super!
Pozdrawiam serdecznie
Krzysiek

timecapturer (49288) 2012-08-28 6:21

Hi Grzegorz
this is a haunting and quite amazing monument and capture of it. The light and your execution here are quite distinctive and it is an image that needs to be viewed full size to see the delicate detail and experience the power of your exceptional shot. Awesome!

Regards - Brian.

Waylim (25436) 2012-08-28 17:18

Hello Gregg,

Great shot, I love the spooky atmosphere, I would be a little scared being here in the dark. Especially with some of the statue with only half the face and body. They are really creepy :)

Way

Sonata11 (34119) 2012-08-28 20:02

Witaj Grzegorz,
bardzo przejmujacy pomnik ofiar systemu komunistycznego. Przechodzi dreszcz. Co do zdjecia to jak zawsze pieknie wykonane i dopiete na ostatni guzik. Wspanial kolorystyka, ostrosc, doskonala czystosc obrazy. Piekna praca. Bardzo mi sie podoba. SUPER!!!! Dzieki za udostepnienie.
Serdecznie pozdrawiam,
Barbara

Nicou (193806) 2012-08-29 1:28

Hello

tr鑚 belle image sueprbe hommeage � ces victime, quel rendu sur leur corps cela fait froid dans le dos, tr鑚 beua travail des artiste, splendide.

Bravo et amiti�

nciou

sacimar (38173) 2012-08-29 2:48

Hello Greg,

I like this image, the memorial is interesting and you have made a good composition, the tones and colors are appropriated, well done,

Best regards,

Sergio

macjake (98402) 2012-08-29 9:52

Hi Grzegorz
I'm so glad to see this photo of yours.
I just recently was in Prague, and we didn't get to see this monument up close, only driving by.
Thanks for you I now know what it is, its history, its story, its polar social views on it, and how it looks.
Very interesting, thanks again for this informative post.
Cheers
craig

fabbs99 (17179) 2012-08-30 20:50

Hello Gregg

Nice image shot reflects a lot of human pathos.I like the perspective and the clarity of the image.

Regds
Farhat

bukitgolfb301 (54014) 2012-08-31 0:12

Hello my dear Grzegorz

Wow so shocking, amazing but also impressive image has come! Your intentional under exposure presentation is so attractive and get sucessful result. Thier face expressions are so nice for me to loose any words. Thanks for your sharing a finest shot and have a good day!

Takero from hottest Tokyo

agjika (3177) 2012-08-31 14:21

Hi Greg,
I had never seen pictures of this monument before. I think is the best monument in the subject. Well done to the artists and to you for this very strongly presented photo. Great pov, compo and light.

Thanks for sharing

Aleks

jhm (211736) 2012-09-01 0:37

Witaj Grzegorz,

Thank you very much for your interesting notes about the cold War behind the Iron Curtain.
You chose a very well angle this gives depth and perspective between the images
Sharpness and clarity are wonderful.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John

marcan44 (6315) 2012-09-13 14:00

Ciao Grzegorz,
scatto suggestivo che trasmette tante sensazioni ed emozioni, realizzato con grande maestria e talento evocativo.
TFS !
Buona serata
Mario

SWEETFREEDOM (24623) 2012-09-29 5:08

Hi Greg,
very nice picture, touching subject, good colors, light and frame
regards
Alessandro

annjackman (23019) 2012-09-29 10:06

Hello Greg,
This is the best picture of this memorial that I have seen. You have photographed in a way that brings out the rawness of the subject matter. Very well done. Thanks also for the note which explains it very well.
Kind Regards, Ann

kabel (1930) 2012-09-30 7:01

Hello, at first I didn't want to look at this photo so obviously, I told myself, that it has a strong impact on me. So why? I had to ask myself. There are five statues of the same man but each stands alone and is different. Although the image is dark, in more than one way, you captured the memorial with skill. Excellent composition and great DOF to be sure.
It takes an artist to pry open the dark recesses of our souls to see and feel what we sometimes will not acknowledge about the human condition. In communism, that great experiment that didn't fulfill its' idealistic promises, man realized his/her capacity to patiently follow through with a belief system that kept people from fulfilling their human potential.
Thank you for waking me up,
Karen

clic (76) 2012-10-23 13:06

Hello Gregg
Sad story indeed represented by the scarred body and other "partial victims" seen behind the front living- dead statue.
They are captured by the rules book in low light for a grief-stryken expression.
Cheers.
Robert