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Wednesday, December 19, 2018

A Little Red Christmas Dress




Y el curioso color del colorado.
Jorge Luís Borges

The lazy days before Christmas (if your shopping is done and that is the case with us), is a time for relaxation and reflection. Deeper reflection happens in the idle days between the day after Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

I have no idea why red is the colour of Christmas. Was that the case before the concept of Santa Klaus came into being? I remember those old Coca-Cola adds featuring Santa.

In Argentina we have an odd opinion on the colour red. Jorge Luís Borges used the word colorado in this poem. Argentines, for reasons as obscure to me as why red is the colour of Christmas, refuse to use the synonym rojo in polite company. They say that the word is ordinary. I would only concur that colorado is a nicer word if you want to insert it in a poem.

As I look at these Ektachromes ( a word rejected by my Word program) with glee I can only remember what my grandmother used to say about good times had in the past, “Nadie te quita lo bailado,” which translates something like, “Nobody can take away from you the memories of dances you have danced in your past.”

Katheryn came into my studio one day in the little red dress and posed for me. Most of my pictures were in black and white. But I am glad now that I did shoot 16 in colour.