People-Shaped White Rocks | Hacker News Reader

People-Shaped White Rocks

theparisreview.org

61 pointstptacek15 comments

> ...how fabulously weird it was, here in a city of millions, that we’d cross paths twice.

I had a very similar experience 2 years ago at CES. I was a couple of rows behind someone on the flight with terrible hygiene, so bad I could smell it.

A couple days later in a convention center, I picked up the same smell. It was so distinct that immediately I knew it was him. I turned, and sure enough, there he was. I couldn't believe it.

Easy as it would be to mock him, it does make me wonder what impression I leave on total strangers.

Let’s just say you were a little heavy on the Axe back in high school

That's a requirement to complete the 8th grade in my local school district.

In both cases, it's not quite as unlikely as "1 in millions" since travelers often go to the same places like conventions and museums. I've experienced that too where a stranger I met at a touristy lake appeared again at a convention I was attending, also in a city of millions.

I don't know why, but I loved this short article. Beautifully written, and subtly raising some metaphors of stone and life and digital... ones that are left quite hazy... to great effect imho, if you enjoy that sort of haze over the things you read :)

If you're not familiar with the author, you're in for a treat.

oh! thanks. glad i came back to see this. digging deeper :)

The work which activated my perceptions of sculpture was a series of small rough dancers by Rodin. I don't remember which gallery they were in at the time, but they struck me as having something alive within them, even though they were quite rough on the surface. I've been a fan of Rodin ever since, although I'm generally less moved by his major works. The Kiss is very good.

Degas' Little Dancer is extremely striking as well; emotionally affecting, it's like a street urchin forced into a pose, but she puts her all into it. It's a commentary on power dynamics, whether deliberate or not.

True words. Degas is super rare in that his paintings and sculptures both feel fresh and spontaneous like that. Also Rodin’s plaster studies, although perhaps that’s what you were referring to.

You might enjoy this http://www.zenosfrudakis.com/freedom-sculpture

Though this would be a recognition algorithm on large silica.

Akin to this facial recognition on small silica grains.

https://boingboing.net/2020/09/08/computer-finds-faces-in-gr...

I find it interesting how the eyes are carved in relief to give the appearance of shadow and reflection (note the little protruding tubercle to simulate a "glint"). Presumably in classical statuary the eyes were either painted to create those effects or replaced with jewels/stones.

You should see the various veiled virgin sculptures to see amazing examples of stone shaped into an illusory form:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Veiled_Virgin

Thank you for that. It's a truly marvellous piece of work!

> There are few uncooler-sounding words than “eighteenth-century marble portraiture.”

What? No! It sounds extremely cool to me. I wonder what would indeed sound cool to the author of this article.

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