A contrast between Jesus Christ, the commericialized Easter Bunny and the pagan tradition involving Ishtar and bunnies. When pagan's were being converted to Christianity, they kept a lot of the same traditions to make it an easy switch-over.
I suppose Easter has nothing whatsoever to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
He he he. Funny I should find this on easter. I wasn't looking for anything having to do with easter or anything, I had even forgotten today is easter (I think?).
Easter has everything to do with the resurrection of Christ, bunnies however, do not :-)
Umm no...Bunnies and colored eggs have everything to do with easter and the resurrection does not...I quote.
The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE.) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." 1 Her name was derived from the ancient word for spring: "eastre." Similar Goddesses were known by other names in ancient cultures around the Mediterranean, and were celebrated in the springtime. Some were:
The Bunny and the eggs (colored because most wild birds like the robin produce colored eggs) both symbolize fertillity. This holiday was incorporated into Christianity to get the pagans to convert to the new religion more easily, the Easter holiday predates Christianty by a couple thousand years...it is a celebration of spring and life renewed, hence the resurrection.
Joey.
This is an amazing picture. I was reading your profile on www.mrx.no and i found myself wondering how someone who has been doing photography for so little amount of time can produce such images. truely inspiring to those like myself of a simialr age. Nice work.
Out of interest. Roughly, what did you do to create this image?
Joey,
I'm kinda here due to the G8 stuff and have posted over there a few times. I actually found your 'Breathe' shot through Dragan links in DPReview. I'm a fan of G8 anyway but it was great to find your stuff here with commentary. I have to ask if this is a self portrait?
Yes, shot with self timer. The body was manipulated with liquify tools, cloning and some dodge/burn tools..
Joey,
I'm kinda here due to the G8 stuff and have posted over there a few times. I actually found your 'Breathe' shot through Dragan links in DPReview. I'm a fan of G8 anyway but it was great to find your stuff here with commentary. I have to ask if this is a self portrait?
Donnie Darko is my schizophrenic brothers second favourite movie and somehow i've tied that bunny mask to his mental dissorder. So the more I look at this picture, the more I feel like crying, yet I love it. Love angle, the tones, the mans body and the wierd way the mask lays on the head. Oh & i like chocolate too.
& don't worry, my brother is fine and awsome. He's a poster child for the Schizophrenia Association.
First time I have seen this Joey and I'm glad that you have expressed some knowledge of pagan traditions in your comments.
On a photographic point of view this is stunning you show so much maturity beyond your years but that is quite academic what I'm really impressed by is that we have something in common "I like chocolate"
I was always terrified of the easter bunny as a small child and thus the movie donnie darko also scared the crap out of me and this photo makes me think of that movie and therefore this photo makes me want to cry...
but its still awesome.
The following is what I posted in several forums / boards I'm on....
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Some may remember me posting a video by a 15-16 year old aspiring director.
Well check out this most awesome take on Easter, I think it so masterfully expresses the confusion of said holiday. Just what exactly is it supposed to mean...
You really need to concentrate more on your visions than challenges these days. I derive a deeper meaning than your photographer comments out of this photo. Part of me feels violated because of the portrayal of my Lord in this way, yet understanding at how confused and commercialized our world has become in celebrating Easter. I am hoping that is your message here.
What can I say? It's a marvelous image. Your a creative genius.
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