Melancholy and Austere Emotions

by Editor Lourens Durand
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 15th of April 2022

'Saudade' by Olga Mest

Since the times of Aristotle, “melancholy” has had a bad reputation, and was considered to be a mental disorder encompassing the most depressive and gloomiest of moods caused by excessive Black Bile in the blood. Over the years the perception of melancholy has changed : now it is considered to be more of a pensive, self-indulgent reflection or longing involving shades of a mixture of emotions - pleasure and pain, longing and hope - but nowhere near a mental disorder. Even the Oxford dictionary calls it “a feeling of pensive sadness” (but adds “typically with no obvious cause”).

Emily Brady, in Melancholy as an Aesthetic Emotion (Michegan Publishing 2003), wrote that “it involves the pleasure of reflection and contemplation of things we love and long for, so that the hope of having them adds a touch of sweetness that makes melancholy bearable.”

Melancholy involves aesthetic emotions, which may be shared by viewers of art and listeners to music. These are the emotions that arise when viewing and evaluating a work of art and appreciating the artistic value and beauty within it.

How do we capture this spirit of melancholy and aesthetic emotion in a photograph? Not by showing images that elicit feelings of dejection, depression, mourning, misery and gloom!

We rather need to find and capture the essence of melancholy through scenes that portray:

* Contemplation
* Pensive moments of reflection
* A mysterious smile, maybe
* A dreamy look
* Serenity
* Thoughtfulness
* Nostalgia
* Precious moments
* Clever use of lighting, composition and mood

These and many more are portrayed by 1X.com photographers, as shown in the selection that follows.

In conclusion, an extract from Auld Lang Syne typifies (for me) the essence of melancholy:

“We two have paddled in the stream,
From morning sun till dine;
But seas between us broad have roared
Since auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.”