mel·an·cho·li·a
ˌmelənˈkōlēə/
noun
deep sadness or gloom; melancholy.
This is a pretty standard definition of melancholia. I'm not sure I agree. I have heard many people describe my photographs as having an air of melancholy to them. That pleases me because that is what I feel when I am shooting. I want to capture a depth to places and scenes that is perhaps missed by the causal observer. The photographs have to have weight and emotion. They must touch a chord with the viewer. I want them to leave an imprint rather than be transitory.
tran·si·to·ry
ˈtransəˌtôrē,ˈtranzəˌtôrē/
adjective
not permanent.
Maybe I am lost in my words. I listen to music that could not be described as happy, or shiny, but could certainly be described as beautiful. Ludovico Einaudi for example - I would say there is an air of melancholy to his music. It is perhaps hauntingly beautiful. That could be description I am looking for but I am searching for one word to sum this feeling up. The closest that my vocabulary takes me is melancholia.
It would seem therefore that I have a difference of opinion. With whom I'm not sure. There may be some wisdom out there that can enlighten me and provide me with the word that I need to fill this lexical void. If I was less bothered about the word (and about sounding pretentious), I'm sure I would settle with a description of my photographs as 'beautiful'.
beau·ti·ful
ˈbyo͞odəfəl/
adjective
pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically.