Paris Vignettes: Outlines and Silhouettes

The Paris Vignettes series features the inspired work of street photographer William “Bill” O’Such in themed installments

Winter’s embrace, with its icy breath and skeletal trees, unveils a distinct opportunity to capture the enchanting silhouettes that define Paris. Embarking on a journey from Square de Temple in our arrondissement (“Square de Temple”), trees weave an intricate and somewhat diabolical tapestry against the backdrop of a cloudy sky. Their meticulously crafted forms (“arbre dans le marais”) harmonize with the equally artistic surroundings, while along the Seine (“les arbres de la seine”), they seamlessly integrate into the city’s skyline.

Expanding the narrative, the streetlights (“pres de notre dame”) and even the barbed wire encircling Notre Dame (“fil barbelé”) add an unexpected dimension as a silhouette. The windows of a store under construction, painted over yet etched in a unique manner (“fenetre en travaux”), present an irreplicable charm. Statues (“de Gaulle”) collapse into a single dimension, sharing a more direct story, while landmarks (“grand palais”) deliver a dynamic message, allowing you to focus your gaze with newfound directness (“place de la republique”).

Even within the hallowed halls of museums, this flattened aesthetic (“roue de modernité”) transforms artworks, rendering them somehow more captivating than their original three-dimensional counterparts. Perhaps most transformative are the rooftops, which, when viewed as outlines (“toits de Belleville”), reveal the intricacies of each neighborhood (“toits ile saint louis”) in a uniquely compelling way (“toits menilmontant”). Thus, like these soaring birds (“en volant”), savor the winter sky through a different lens, finding joy in its altered perspective.