Sailor kissing girl in Times Square

Sailor kissing girl in Times Square by Alfred Eisenstaedt, V-J Day 1945 

Yet again here is another iconic photograph of the United States history. This photograph shows a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square when our triumph of World War II was announced. This photograph seems to represent to people what it felt like when World War II ended. I can only imagine how palpable the energy and excitement was at that moment. Imagine standing there in the middle of Times Square hearing the thousands of peoples cheers and screams and having that one moment stopped in time with this photograph.

The photograph is structured to have the kissing couple as the focal point and the one part of the photograph that is supposed to catch the viewers gaze. The contrast of the colors is just one of the ways in which the photographer creates a space around the couple. Another way the photographer creates space is by the focus of the camera lens. The camera focuses on the main figures, allowing things in the background to become blurry and out of focus, making the main figures even more prominent. The photograph features blacks and whites of different contrasts, and it creates an emphasis on the main figures because they are the most sharply defined colors.

70 years after this photograph was taken and every single piece, shade and line of the picture has been viewed, analyzed, and studied by millions of people, which it makes it hard to believe that the picture was, at one time, a reality. This photo is, and will remain to be, an iconic part of the United States history. That is what is so amazing about this photograph, even years after it was taken it can still represent the emotions of that day, so that we can all hold on to such a great feeling like that.

The Migrant Mother

The migrant mother, taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936

This iconic photograph was taken during the Great Depression in 1936. The picture shows a mother with her two children leaning on her, and an infant in her lap. This picture became so popular because it showed the world what was happening to people at that time. I think the most emphasized part of this photograph are the worry lines on the mothers face, frown of her mouth and hand placement on her chin. These three qualities add together to create an intense sense of worry, sadness, and lack of hope. This a photograph about class, which evokes not just sympathy but compassion, an impulse to help this struggling woman and her children. It seems to be a simple photograph of a woman and her children, but actually it tells the struggle of a time of our history.

One reason I really love this picture is because it portrays the emotion of a struggling mother, trying to figure out what she must do next to help her children stay alive. What I have always wondered was if the children were clinging to their mother and hiding their face because of shyness, or because they were trying to cling to any hope left to keep alive and looking for their mother for support. That is what is so interesting about this photograph, that there are so many things left unanswered and open to the interpretation of the viewer. Also there are so may qualities of this photograph that make it interesting, such as being used as a symbol of beauty, motherhood, Depression, loss of hope, or simply just a photograph. It is so interesting how one picture can exemplify so many different things and express so many different emotions. What I love the most is how this photograph can still be relevant even 80 years after it was taken.

Contemporary Indian Photography

Contemporary Indian Photography

The exhibit for Contemporary Indian Photography is one that shouldn’t be missed. The photographs express different scenes, themes, but somehow each one still catches your eye. What is really interesting is how the artist/artists in this exhibition make use of the camera’s power to document reality. To catch a moment in time that most people pass over and don’t ever think about. A lot of the photographs are so interesting because the pictures seem so spontaneous and not very planned or posed. Their pictures pose questions about identity, self-representation and truth. Also the photographs create visions and experiences such as desire, love, and self-empowerment.

Some of these photographs, or the ones I have posted here, include an emphasis on the lives of women and girls. I love how the pictures of the girls express themselves and female power. Their poses express empowerment and encouragement, with a strong visual appearance. These were my favorite pictures from the exhibit and that is why I decided to add them here. One reason why I was so interested by these pictures is that it seems like the girl are in control, that no matter what they have the power to overcome anything. Somehow I get a feeling of strength and encouragement just from their positions and facial expressions.

This exhibit was very interesting. There were some photographs that I was not a fan of, but even so I could still  find something interesting in them. The subject matters of the pictures were vastly different, but that’s why I think I liked most of them, especially since I was walking around an exhibit with different photographs with different meanings, instead of pictures that looked exactly the same. I enjoyed the vastly different emotions and objects of these photographs and I really enjoyed being able to visit the exhibit. 

Dave Heath Exhibition

Dave Heath Exhibition

The Dave Heath Exhibition was probably one of my favorite photograph exhibitions I have seen. While walking through the exhibition I realized that there wasn’t just one or to pictures that really caught my attention, but almost all of them. Dave Heath’s Exhibition expresses a bittersweet vision of modern life in his powerful photographs of loss and hope. These elements of his photographs are jaw dropping and some cause you to not want to move your gaze from staring at them. His photos go further than just registering time and space, but rather they suggests a story. A story that takes place behind the surface of the photograph and in the mind of the viewer. The stories I took from the photographs are probably different what others experience, just because we all have different imaginations. A dialogue is thus created between the image and the viewer which stimulates their imagination.

It seems like most of his pictures weren’t taken on purpose but rather were a result of Dave Heath going where life led him. It seems like some of the photographs are a reflection of private experiences of his, and that others are inspired by him being carried away in the lives of other people or cultures. The way he focuses his images and shows his subjects, it is like he presents them through the lens without prejudice, and that is one reason I was so interested by his photographs.

The photos that I have attached here were some of my favorite ones from the exhibition. I liked these photographs so much because they are so raw and express such an emotional feeling. There was something about them that just really caught my eye and made me not want to look way. Their deep sorrow and obvious pain make them so intense and made me so curious as to wonder what happened when the photo was being taken. 

Beautifully Unified by Design

Frank Lloyd Wright "Falling Water" 1936-1939

With his creation, Frank Lloyd Wright orchestrated perfect harmony between man and nature in his house built for the Kaufman family, Falling Water. Frank Lloyd Wright displayed Organic architecture in Falling Water masterfully. He clearly demonstrated the requirements of Organic architecture in the interior and the exterior of Falling Water. These requirements being an inclusion of nature in architectural plans, and the design of buildings based on surrounding nature. The characteristics of Organic architecture were satisfied so gracefully Wright managed to create a synchronized relationship between his house and the surrounding environment. Perhaps, the relationship between man and nature framed in his creation of Falling Water is the ideal relationship of all interactions between man and nature.          

Some people may not believe that this house is a piece of art, but I would argue otherwise. Once you see the house and truly experience its unique beauty, you realize how truly magnificent it is, and you know that it is a true piece of art. What is really fascinating is that what was not naturally part of the environment in some way or form still influenced the completion of the house. Wright designed materials in the house to assume the characteristics of the surrounding environment, as exemplary seen in his use of color. Wright consistently utilizes color that resembles the outside atmosphere on the exterior and the interior of the house, to make it blend into the environment and nature around it.

 I have loved this house for years and I love the feeling it gives me when I see its pure beauty. This house creates a beautiful symbiotic relationship between nature and man, which is one reason why I am so interested in it. If you just look at the picture of it you can tell how truly amazing it is. Just picture walking through the house and seeing all the magnificent pieces that make it whole, and how peaceful the waterfall, and pools make it feel. This house is one reason I became so interested in art and I will remember its effect on me for many years to come. 

Birmingham Race Riot

Andy Warhol "Birmingham Race Riot" 1964

I was most fascinated by this picture due to the fact that the artist must have been purposefully trying to blur what was happening at that moment and everyone who was involved. The picture depicts the riots at Birmingham, Alabama, which was one of the climaxes of the Civil Rights Movement. The image is showing supporters of Martin Luther King, who were protesting segregation and were attacked by the police with dogs. In particular this image shows one man being attacked by two police dogs on leashes while many on lookers are hurried along. What really caught my attention was how the picture has a high contrast, which blurs the details, and makes the picture seem much more interesting due to the fact that it’s a little dark and mysterious. Also what is interesting is how this enhanced contrast heightens the distinction between black and white, and present a news item as a moment in history that is worth preserving. The picture is stopped at the perfect moment so that you can see all the action that would have been happening at that very time.

The one thing about this picture that made me stop and stare at it, is how it shows the police dog, mouth open and teeth showing, jumping towards the man, while the other dog has his teeth clenched on the man’s pants and are pulling on them. In this picture time is stopped at the moment when the dog is in mid leap and you can see the fierceness in his eyes. What this made me think of was how awful it must have been to be this man at that riot and how terrifying it must have been for him to see a dog like that coming towards you to attack.  Also what was so interesting to me was how the picture was arranged, such that I was more focused on the action that is being portrayed, than the environment around it.

I believe that this picture allows the viewer to reflect on our past as a country, and see  how far we have come, while also allowing the viewer to form their own interpretation of what this piece means. This piece was so interesting to me because it depicts something that is part of our history, but it also forced me to think about if I was in the shoes of the man being attacked.