Juxtaposition

Moving on to the letter J in the A to Z blogging challenge, tonight's word is a fun one. For the letter J, I have chosen to blog about "Juxtaposition".  The meaning of juxtaposition is: an act or instance of placing close together, or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

A good example of juxtaposition in literature would be John Milton's Paradise Lost. A contrast has been drawn between the characters God and Satan , where the goodness of one is played off of the badness of the other and vice versa. 

Another popular example of juxtaposition is the Yin Yang Symbol from Chinese Philosophy. The Yin Yang symbol represents two fundamental principles, one negative, dark, passive, cold, wet and feminine (Yin) and the other positive, light, active, dry, hot and masculine (Yang). The balance of these forces in nature and human beings influences their behavior and fate. Another yummier example of juxtaposition which also comes from the Chinese is Sweet and Sour Chicken ;)

Here is a fascinating example of juxtaposition in art.  This lithograph by artist Rene Magritte plays with the ideas of reality and illusion through a bouquet that is also a window to the outside, where perhaps the flowers in the vase came from.

In the world of fashion, Alexander McQueen was the King of Juxtaposition, especially on the runway.

You never knew what kind of odd contraptions the models would be sporting with their beautiful gowns. A gorgeous lace gown worn with antlers is just one example of the surreal juxtaposition of the late, great McQueen.

OK, so that is enough juxtaposition for one night, don't you think?  I really enjoyed learning about juxtaposition for this post though, and I plan on finding ways to use it in my jewelry designs because I think it might be a fun exercise in creativity. 

TTYL and make it a good night,

Debbie