Archival Giclée Pigment Print on Archival Paper
Limited Edition of 5
51 x 42 in
130 x 107 cm
US $ 3,900
This black-and-white photograph from John Stathatos's The Garden of the Hesperides series exudes an aura of quiet mystery, capturing a secluded pathway framed by dense foliage and leading up to a classical stone balustrade. The dark, shadowed entrance and the tunnel-like vegetation evoke a sense of transition—a movement from an enclosed, almost hidden world into an open, brighter space beyond. The staircase invites the viewer upward, promising a glimpse into a forgotten or mythical realm, echoing the series' exploration of Arcadian ideals and the Western imagination’s longing for paradise.
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This black-and-white photograph from John Stathatos's The Garden of the Hesperides series exudes an aura of quiet mystery, capturing a secluded pathway framed by dense foliage and leading up to a classical stone balustrade. The dark, shadowed entrance and the tunnel-like vegetation evoke a sense of transition—a movement from an enclosed, almost hidden world into an open, brighter space beyond. The staircase invites the viewer upward, promising a glimpse into a forgotten or mythical realm, echoing the series' exploration of Arcadian ideals and the Western imagination’s longing for paradise.
This image belongs to Part II of the series, which focuses on the semi-abandoned garden at Villa Carnevale, Italy. Here, the British owner’s neo-classical design has been partially reclaimed by nature, as the overgrown plants encroach on the orderly stonework, blurring the boundary between civilization and wilderness. The dense greenery pressing in on either side hints at the tension between human-imposed order and natural exuberance—a recurring theme in Stathatos’s work, where he examines how landscapes evolve over time, absorbing and transforming cultural intentions.
The path leading into shadowed unknowns, yet illuminated by dappled light, evokes the mythical essence of the Gardens of the Hesperides, where beauty and mystery intertwine. By capturing this scene in monochrome, Stathatos enhances the timeless quality of the image, as if the viewer is glimpsing a memory or a fragment of cultural history suspended between the past and present. The photograph serves as both an homage to classical ideals and a meditation on nature’s resilience, revealing how even carefully curated landscapes are ultimately subject to the cycles of growth and decay.