COM 232 Visual Literacy
Fall 2011, Assignment 2
Close analysis of an image
David Diaz
Untitled, 1976 by Jerry Uelsmann
Jerry Uelsmann is an internationally recognized photographer; famous for his incredibly complex photographs. He shoots and prints in large format and does the entire photo editing in the darkroom. His photographs are one of a kind since the entire process from shooting to framing in done in the traditional way; there is not digital alteration at all. This piece belongs to the permanent collection of the
The image is a black and white photograph. In the photograph the viewer can appreciate the interior of a room with highly elaborated decorations on the walls and furniture perhaps resembling those of the 18 or 19 century architecture style. We can see a fireplace that seems to be ready to be lit. On top of the fireplace a decorative plate hangs. In the back of the room, fresh flowers in a base rest on top of a cabinet with a mirror hanging on the wall behind them. A chair with an intricate pattern sits by what seems to be a door way. A second cabinet also holds a base with flowers, and a second chair with different size and pattern than the first sits close to the cabinet. An entire wall in the room is filled with books in book shelves. A big rug covers most of the wooden floor. In the middle of the room a desk is the main object of the photograph. The desk does not have a chair, and two book rests in top of the desk. One closed and one open; on top of the open book the figure of a person appears walking as if he was just about to step in to the desk which look like sand. A candle to the left of the desk appears to be floating; there is no flame on the candle. The ceiling of the room is gone and all it can be seem is a beautiful cloudy sky.
The content of the image is very rich in elements which open the doors for a variety of interpretations. This photograph suggests a range of interpretations depending on the part of the image the viewer concentrates in. the books in the book shelves are a symbol of knowledge memories, history, or the past. The fireplace without flame could be the absence of warmth perhaps lack of closure with a partner, family or friends. The flowers in the bases in the back of the room could be interpreted as hope and life, but they are in the back; farthest from the object of the picture and the viewer. Hope and life are hard to reach; they remain isolated in the back of the room. The door way in the back has a similar symbolism. The door is in the back and chairs and cabinets are in the way making it even harder to get to. The door leads to the outside. An unknown path, but a new path. Perhaps a escape from the current situation or a way to change for a new future. The absent of a chair for the desk suggests that nobody can change or interfere with what is happening. No one is meant to sit in that desk. The candle close to the desk lacks of a flame. The flame of a candle is commonly connected to life and dead. A lit candle is the light of life; on the other hand, a candle with no flame is darkness and the end of life. The closed book and the opened book could be also an analogy for life and dead. One book is closed; the last chapter was written, and there is no more to write. The person is not among us anymore. The opened book still has pages to be written. The person will keep writing the book of his life. The figure of the person walking off the book into the sand on top of the desk is the most intriguing and interesting element of the photograph. He walks alone out of the “book of life” leaving behind the closed book. Perhaps he lost a close relative. He may be feeling hopeless and lifeless. The flowers symbol of hope and life are far from reach. The door that could take him out of that situation is also far away. There is no a fire in the fire place or the warmth of that person. The candle is out. The books in the book shelves are all the memories and the past they once share. The beautiful sky covers everything. The sky is bigger and more powerful that any bad situation, and even though is cloudy right now, It will clear and the sun will shine as a reminder of the power to overcome any situation and the fact that life do not stop, and he will have to keep living his life.
The composition of the image is very powerful. The photograph conveys several ideas open to interpretation. The relatively open frame let us explore the different element of the photograph; the different elements in and near the walls; the ceiling and the desk. The lens use to capture this photograph varies. This photograph is a composition of at least four photographs. For the room, the artist may have use a standard or wide angle lens. For the person walking he may have used a telephoto lens. For the sand he may have use a standard lens and for the sky the artist may have used a wide angle. The subject or subjects in the photograph are both static and dynamic. The room is static and the person is dynamic. The distance varies too photograph to photograph. For the room he may have done a long shot. For the person and the sand, he may have done a long shot. For the sky he made a extreme long shot. The angle is middle for the room, high for the person and the sand and low for the sky. The depth is focused, the depth of field is big and all the elements of the photographs are focused. The lighting is a low key; That really helps the mood of the photograph and also technically having low key lighting helps in the photo editing process. The color used is black and white which also set an atmosphere in the picture that predisposes the viewer to a specific temper. Fast film was most likely use for this piece; 100 ASA/ISO or even less is common with large format cameras. There is no visible grain on the photograph.
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