Still Life with Tipped Cup

"Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die." 2 Samuel 14:14

The image of a cup tipped on its side is usually a metaphor for death in still life. This composition is built almost entirely around that metaphor. I wanted to create a sense that the image is itself tumbling over, spilling down onto the ground as the eye moves from left to right across the page. I borrowed this "cascading" compositional techniques from still life painting, where it seems rather more common than in photography. The rule of thirds is still operative here, but only marginally so, and the main guiding principle is in creating a sloping geometry from the various elements (cow foot, sheep head, and pig intestines). The sheep's head is, perhaps, a reference to Goya's beautiful Still Life with Sheep’s Head and Ribs, a grim piece of meat art that had a huge impact on me, and is often interpreted as a reaction to Goya's experiences during the war. Enjoy!