His name, Leland Beaumont, means "the lowlands by the beautiful mountain," so perhaps his interest in beautiful mountain images is inevitable. Knowing that his formal education and 30-year long career is in Electrical Engineering, this interest in images may seem unusual. But with a strong interest in inquiry, evidence, and argument, he has always been curious to understand what is, why is, and how cause relates to effect. He is also fascinated by the interconnections and interactions of elements that comprise a system. Intelligence resides in the linkages more than in the data. He asks many intriguing questions about those linkages.
 

What is the basis for aesthetics? Why is one image generally considered more beautiful than another? Does a colorful sunset or a delicate rose bring joy to everyone who sees it? Are judgments of beauty a human universal, or is there truly no accounting for taste? Can aesthetics be analyzed rationally? If a music passage relaxes the listener, and a visual design elicits the same relaxing response, what elements are common to the music and the image? Can we explicate aesthetics?

Knowing that vision is the broadband channel to the mind, he is especially interested in "Primal Images". These immediately captivate us as they stimulate our curiosity and awe. They access the archetypes that make us uniquely human. They engage our passions and emotions through our limbic systems long before we analyze them cognitively. They can be haunting.

Fear, awe, joy, disgust, sadness, loneliness, exhilaration, anger, love, and many other emotions can each be aroused by skillfully created images. What are the visual prototypes for each of these emotions? What color and tone best represent fear? What lines and forms are the most joyful? What is the texture of sadness and the shape  of loneliness? How spacious is love?

Please join us as we explore these questions. Certainly we do not know enough of the answers. We would enjoy hearing your thoughts on the what, the why, the wow, and the awe of primal images.

Contact us at: photos@BeautifulMountainImages.com

BeautifulMountainImages.com Copyright 2006 by Leland R. Beaumont