Éléphant Sacré De Dharasuram
François
Fontaine
About this photograph :
Éléphant Sacré De Dharasuram
The Airavatesvara temple in Dharasuram (Tamil Nadu), dating from the second half of the twelfth century, is one of the four largest temples built by the Chola dynasty. It is dedicated to the god Shiva. Its architecture and very rich decor makes it an amazing monument, it was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2004. Elephants regularly feature above and below in the temple ornamentation. The animal generally conjures up strength and power. Ganesh, with an elephant’s head, the son of Shiva is the God of Wisdom. Hindus still pay respect today to certain elephants designated holy.
About the artist :
François
Fontaine
François Fontaine was born in 1968. He lives and works in Paris. As a history of art student at the Sorbonne, he developed a passion for photography. As the son of a naval officer this practice was closely linked to travel. Thereby he went to South-East Asia, Spain, Brazil, China, Japan and India. Each of these destinations was an opportunity to continue his artistic research from an iconographic point of view as well as stylistic. These series were awarded and François Fontaine was a finalist in the Prix Kodak de la Critique Photographique in 1997, the Prix CCF in 2005 and the Leica Oscar Barnack Prize in 2006.
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