Brutality and BeautyA close view of decorated armor reveals the contrast between intricate craftsmanship and the brutal purpose it was designed to serve. Beauty and protection exist side by side in the shaped and decorated steel.

Exploring the different suits and pieces of armor, I was struck by the amount of effort that went into adding beautiful details to something with such a brutal purpose.

In reality, armor is drenched in brutality. It was meant to protect the person wearing it in battle, certainly not to be fancy dress. Somehow, though, many of these pieces also touch on the artistic beauty that's the complete opposite of that brutality.

This was meant to stop a sword from slicing into the person wearing it or a mace from smashing someone's bones. Apparently, there's no reason you can't look good at the same time.

For this image, I wanted to bring out that contrast. I chose a tighter crop to concentrate on the decoration and craftsmanship, while still leaving enough of the armor to remind you what you're actually looking at.

Beautiful, yes. But ultimately, it's beautiful protection from something pretty damn ugly.

Echoes in Steel grew from an opportunity through the Worcester Art Museum Members Council to create photographs for auction at its annual members gala. As a thank-you for that opportunity, and to support the arts, I’m donating 50% of the profits from print sales in this series to the Worcester Art Museum.