20th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Don't let forgotten

Don't let forgotten. Is death a negation of life? Or the other way around: this life is the negation of death? This is a difficult question when death is as close as it is today, when it knocks on our door, while being so distant, hidden behind a screen of statistics, in the barren crypts of hospital rooms. Undoubtedly, however, it is impossible to think one without the other: neither death without its background in life, nor life without the specter of its end. In the history of mankind, man has developed various ways of dealing with this problem. The rite and ritual that accompany the recollection of those who have passed away always draw us to the past. In this context, an artistic form of the Polish noble coffin portrait appeared in the 17th century. But the task of art is not only to recall the past, it has the power to make present what we do not see around us here and now. Something like this is the future beyond our finite nature. Think who and how will mention you, think about how many more things, how many people are still waiting for your gesture. It is in life that you create your image in eternity. Don't let forgotten.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 11.2021
Date Uploaded: 11.2022
Photo Location: Białystok, Poland
Camera: Canon EOS 6D Mark II
Copyright: © Marcin Idźkowski