Signs
by Kathy Bassett
Title
Signs
Artist
Kathy Bassett
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
There are many! This is a favorite, the praying mantis. So unique in the insect world.One of the earliest mantis references is in the ancient Chinese dictionary Erya, which gives its attributes in poetry (representing courage and fearlessness), as well as a brief description. A later text, the Jingshi Zhenglei Daguan Bencao 經史證類大觀本草 (經, Epic 史, history 證, collection 類, kinds 大觀, overall impression 本, basic 草, algraculture Annotated and Arranged by Types, Based upon the Classics and Historical Works") from 1108, is impressively correct on the construction of the egg packages, the development cycle, the anatomy and even the function of the antennae.Western descriptions of the biology and morphology of the mantises had become relatively accurate by the 18th century. Roesel von Rosenhof accurately illustrated and described them in the Insekten-Belustigungen (Insect Entertainments). Aldous Huxley made philosophical observations about the nature of death while two mantises mated in the sight of two characters in the novel Island (the species was Gongylus gongylodes). The naturalist Gerald Durrell's autobiography My Family and Other Animals includes an account of a very evenly matched battle between a mantis and a gecko. Based upon empirical evidence, the Australian mantis has been known to strike fear amongst the native Australian gecko causing great avoidance tendencies as it marks its territory.
M. C. Escher's woodcut Dream depicts a human-sized mantis standing on a sleeping bishop.Two martial arts that had been separately developed in China have movements and fighting strategies based on those of the Mantis. As one of these arts was developed in northern China, and the other in southern parts of the country, the arts are nowadays referred to (both in English and Chinese) as 'Northern Praying Mantis' and 'Southern Praying Mantis'. Both arts are very popular in China, and have also been imported to the West in recent decades.
Uploaded
May 15th, 2013
Statistics
Viewed 485 Times - Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 03/27/2024 at 1:26 AM
Embed
Share
Sales Sheet
Comments (14)
Kathy Bassett
Thanks so much for the feature of Signs in your Non DSLR Photography group, Cassondra!
Kathy Bassett
Thank you very much! for the feature of Signs in your ALL SEASONS Nature Mountain and more group!
Al Powell Photography USA
Interesting image. This would fit well in the "Photography Based Digital Art" group. Here is another Vote.