SONIA MELNIKOVA ART PHOTOGRAPHY

I feel strong affinity with the Japanese philosophy and aesthetics of wabi sabi, with its focus on the transient nature of things, acceptance of their impermanence and the natural cycle of growth, decay, and demise. The word sabi, which originated in Japanese poetry, encompasses “the feeling you get in the autumn when the geese are flying south and the leaves are falling. It is a sort of somber longing that is felt in the muted colors and earthy aroma of a forest preparing for winter.” It describes the exact feeling of yearning and “melancholy ache” I had when I was capturing these images one late fall in New England.