Bullet through Candle Flame 1973

Curator: Harold Edgerton's "Bullet through Candle Flame," currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, presents a mesmerizing still life. What strikes you first about this image? Editor: The sheer violence made aesthetic! Red dominates, encapsulating the candle's fragile existence and the bullet’s brutal interruption. It feels charged with tension. Curator: Indeed. Edgerton’s innovation lies in his stroboscopic photography. It captures this fleeting moment with remarkable clarity, emphasizing the shockwave and the candle's deformation. Editor: The image is a commentary on power and destruction. The bullet, a symbol of force, pierces through the candle flame, a traditional emblem of knowledge and enlightenment. It is a blatant visual metaphor for the suppression of knowledge, particularly within academic institutions. Curator: While I appreciate that interpretation, I see it more as a study of form and motion. The interplay of light and shadow, the disruption of the flame, these elements create an exquisite visual experience. Editor: But isn't that aestheticization precisely the problem? Ignoring the broader implications, the historical context of violence, allows us to detach from the reality of its impact. Curator: Perhaps. But its formal qualities cannot be denied. Editor: Agreed, and it serves as a powerful reminder of art's role in engaging with difficult subjects. Curator: Yes, the artwork demonstrates an amazing technique. Editor: And a potent reflection on our world.