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Inner Light
large-format photo book, Shakers thruout east US
94 pages, Paperback
First published April 12, 1985
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April 16, 2020
There is a quiet, simple elegance to these pictures that nicely complements the Shaker life that Butler describes in her introductory note. Graceful lines and forms in these photos are accented by soft, overflowing light and crisp shadows. There are no people in these pictures, which, in a way I suppose, reflect the largely now died-out Shaker communities. Not only does Butler have a poetic eye, but there are no pompous wording about her photos or "work." It's all just straightforward language, the content of which speaks, artfully, for itself.*
*"It is remarkable that the Shakers, a religious sect that was at its height over a century ago, can still speak so eloquently to the contemporary world. There is something in the vision of these people that stops us - the pace and complexity of our daily lives exist outside their doors, and for a short time there is a respite.
"My reaction was first and foremost an aesthetic one. Some aspect of an object or architectural space would speak to me, and I would attempt to pull out of it what I saw or felt.
"In all but two communities, there are no living Shakers. Yet how strongly these people speak in the things they left behind! The buildings have an undeniably spiritual quality, and, a century and a half after they were built, they show evidence of a clarity of mind and vision. They were designed to evoke the spirit of God, and they do. There is a quietness in these simple lines and stark surroundings that facilitates a focus beyond oneself.
"So, too, there is a relentless perfection in many of the Shaker objects. In a cloak, each stitch is exactly in place. The lid of an oval box is neither too loose nor too tight."
*"It is remarkable that the Shakers, a religious sect that was at its height over a century ago, can still speak so eloquently to the contemporary world. There is something in the vision of these people that stops us - the pace and complexity of our daily lives exist outside their doors, and for a short time there is a respite.
"My reaction was first and foremost an aesthetic one. Some aspect of an object or architectural space would speak to me, and I would attempt to pull out of it what I saw or felt.
"In all but two communities, there are no living Shakers. Yet how strongly these people speak in the things they left behind! The buildings have an undeniably spiritual quality, and, a century and a half after they were built, they show evidence of a clarity of mind and vision. They were designed to evoke the spirit of God, and they do. There is a quietness in these simple lines and stark surroundings that facilitates a focus beyond oneself.
"So, too, there is a relentless perfection in many of the Shaker objects. In a cloak, each stitch is exactly in place. The lid of an oval box is neither too loose nor too tight."
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