Unit 2: Interpreting The Art Of Photography

Although it is argued the use of photographs are not as diligent as traditional art forms such as painting or sculpting, it has opened up a whole new breed of art; which documents and “captures, instantaneous fleeting moments”. Photography gives a take on perspective that cannot be captured by hand and because of digitalised nature of the media, allows the photographer or film-maker an almost unlimited amount of versatility through editing. Francis Firth called the use of photography “an attribute” I very much agree with him. The use of photography has been a prominently useful tool throughout history, many artists used photographs to capture a scene or portrait to be draw or painted later thus extending their time-scale. I have used photography and film in my own work. I find

The photograph “Migrant Mother” was taken by Dorothea Lange in the year 1936 in Nipomo, California. The photograph depicts a mother by the name of Florence Owens Thompson. Thompson was a mother of seven, and her photograph because an iconic symbol of the Great Depression. The Grapes of Wrath, a novel about the migration during the 1930’s, was influenced by “Migrant Mother.”

The photograph is a very powerful medium. The French painter Paul Delaroche exclaimed upon seeing an early photograph “from now on, painting is dead!” (Sayre, 2000). Many critics did not take photography seriously as a legitimate art form until the 20th century. With the

Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother” uncovers the strength of a mother trying to comfort her children as she silently harbors the desperation and fear of her family during the depression. The photograph exhibits a migrant mother sitting with her attire dirty and ragged followed by her children's. All seem to be malnourished and not living a suitable lifestyle. The two kids around age four or five are leaning tilted inwards with an infant lying on the mother’s lap. The mother’s face is dirty and shows fear as her children also look vulnerable and scared with their heads buried in their mother's shoulder for comfort and support.

Her most well know piece Migrant Mother which was of Florence Owens Thompson. The photograph shows a worn out mother with her two children's heads in her shoulders, and a baby in her lap.

A picture of a mother and her three children became one of the most recognizable photos in history. It came out of the Great Depression. In the black and white picture, a woman sits holding her infant, while resting her head in her right hand, with hopelessness displayed on her face. She has two older children leaning on her, their back facing the camera. Dorothea Lange, the photographer, worked for the federal government. Her assignment was to take photographs of rural poverty and capture the effects of it in her photographs. Migrant Mother did that. It was later discovered that the mother in the image is Florence Thompson, who died in 1983. The Migrant Mother image sparks numerous saddening feelings and dreary thoughts inside people due to

Migrant Mother is a picture taken by Dorothea Lange in 1963. The location in which the photograph was taken is at a camp for seasonal agricultural workers 175 miles north of Los Angeles by Dorothea Lange. In the image we see a women with desperate look in her eyes wearing a gray shirt with a baby in her lap, and two children holding on to her shoulder, one on her right and the other

Dorothea Lange is an experienced photographer, born on the 26th day of March 1895. Her works have been a source of insight for many people and this has proved very effective to contemporary photographers. There are many works that this woman did during her time and it is important to acknowledge them. Migrant Mother is one of these works and the applause that it has gotten from the viewers clearly portrays expertness at its best. The photo revolves around the life and family of one Florence Owens Williams and was taken in 1936 in California Florida. Going through the various elements of this photograph is effective in ensuring that one understands the deep concepts that revolve around it.

The photograph is a very powerful medium. The French painter Paul Delaroche exclaimed upon seeing an early photograph "from now on, painting is dead!" (Sayre, 2000). Many critics did not take photography seriously as a legitimate art form until the 20th century. With

Another important photograph by Lange is “Migrant Mother” where she took the photo in February/March of 1936 in Nipomo, California. She was in the middle of a month’s trip photographing migratory farm labour around the state when she spotted a small camp on the road. “I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet” (Dorothea Lange, 1960). The photo is of a mother named Florence Owen Thompson and her three children huddling together. The mother is in a slouched position, with her hand resting under her chin looking worried. On the mother’s lap is an infant wrapped in a jacket.

Conventions in images are able to explore and can constructs a representation of a particular group, value or idea. With this image it portrays numerous visual conventions in the photo, such as camera angle, shot size, composition of the model, and the focus. These techniques help portray the intended message, ideas, values or groups from the photograph on how we are still unable to help out enough with poverty while we are spending hundreds of dollars daily on unnecessary things, while we have starving children in third world countries who are working as slaves to help support themselves.

Photography is verse. Complex, open-ended, and layered with meaning. With photography, one goes beyond words to convey a message. A single image often transmits multiple intentions - leaving itself open to the viewer to decipher them.

Producing art has been a past time of mine since childhood. Through a strange turn of fate, a camera found a way into my hands and it awakened me to a whole new creative universe that I am still exploring. Seeing inspiration everywhere I began to keep a visual diary concerned with reminiscing my memories, and creative references. My children became my photography models as well. On our outings I would take pictures of them and the scenery. Snapshots of their childhood and our adventures mean more to me than most anything. Capturing them laughing and happy made me feel amazing and it was magical laughter that showed up in the photo. My camera has let me be an observer in the tapestry of life and helped develop my art of living. Photography gave me my childlike faith and passion back.

To test the validity of the statement ‘All the arts are based on the presence of man, only photography derives an advantage from his absence.’ (Bazin 1967: 13), one has to first define what is meant by art. This commentary is going to examine this statement using three different definitions of art, Bazin’s, Tolstoy’s and Arnheim’s definitions.

The reason I chose the popular image of Dorothea Lange is because with the stance of immigration in the 1900’s many immigrant families were forced to live in impoverishment due to the lack opportunities. The black and white photo shows no color and that reflects the mood of a rough time for the mother and her children in the photo. Their clothes seem to be grimy and dirty and so does their skin. The fact that the children seem to be turned away from the camera puts emphasis on that they are in devastation and are in need. The mother and children’s clothes have holes are slightly tattered as if they were working in a harsh, rough environment. The negative area of the photo seems to be a tent of some sort in the background and the material is worn out and slightly dirty. The dirt etched on their clothes, body, and background just emphasizes that the area that they’re living in isn’t a clean filtered place and that finding a way for necessities was difficult, especially in a time of need.