Thursday, February 12, 2015

Abandoned and Stiffs

Have you ever had a series of events line up unexpectedly at just the right moment to solve a problem or coincide with an event?

Thanks to Schiffer Publishing I experienced that today.

One of my Advanced Placement student artists chose death and decay as the subjects of her 12-piece Concentration portfolio.

It just so happens Schiffer provided copies of two of its recent releases that pertain to those subjects.

Abandoned NYC by Will Ellis explores the many dilapidated, deserted and decaying locations around, in and under the Big Apple.

Stunning photographs show how time and the forces of nature have taken their toll on hospitals, hotels, public works, military complexes and other forgotten places.

Looking through its pages you get the feeling that the ghosts of past occupants still room the ruined and crumbling halls and rooms.



Stiffs, Skulls and Skeletons by Stanley B. Burns, MD and Elizabeth A. Burns explores the ravages that time and disease have on the human body.


Be warned!  This book is not for the faint of heart.
Autopsies, dissections, amputations, birth defects, and every other type of Medical Photography and Symbolism is explored extensively and thoroughly.

If skulls, skeletons, corpses (in every state of decomposition and dissection) and the dead in poses with the living are not your cup of tea it might be best to avoid this book.

However if you are fascinated by the human body, medical science and the lengths to which doctors and physicians go to understand the human body this is the book you will want to purchase, read and look through at the hundreds of photos.

Both books provide fascinating insights into death and decay.