Library Assignment

I looked through several different books at the library and studied the work of various artists. Of all the photographs I looked at, these two really stood out to me.

These two women seem to express everything they are feeling through a distant gaze. While one shows determination, the other demonstrates despair. These photos seemed to depict the struggles of women of color and of lower class.

The first photo of the girl and boy was taken by Roy DeCarava and captioned "Mississippi freedom marcher, Washington, D.C. 1963." I felt that I could experience everything this girl was feeling by observing the look in her eyes. As a freedom marcher, she had such an intense look of pride and willpower. The natural lighting of the sun further captured this expression on her face.

The focal point of the photograph is clearly the girl, even though there is a boy standing right next to her. The boy is cut out of the picture and he is not in focus. His positioning, however, helps frame the girl nicely. It is also interesting how the photographer chose to leave the boy’s eye in the shot. In doing so, the viewer is able to interpret the emotions of both characters. The boy has a very sad look on his face, perhaps feeling he is fighting a loosing battle. The girl, on the contrary, looks more hopeful in their march for freedom. The photograph is able to capture a wide range of emotion through the expressions of these two people.

This picture has great contrast, both in the quality of the photograph and between the white uniforms and dark skin of the people. In looking at their matching attire, I wondered whether these people were coming from a segregated school in which uniforms were required.

The second photo of the woman and child was taken by Sebastiao Salgado and left untitled. As with the first photograph, this one tells a story through the eyes of the woman it features. She holds a distant expression as she breastfeeds her child. The child appears malnurished and at an age too old to still be breastfed. With the mother and child's rags for clothing, their small body statures, and the lack of proper food for the child, it is apparent that they are of minimal income.

With the intense look in the mother's eyes, it is easy for the observer to overlook both the child and everything else in the photograph. The mother and child are placed in a dark area with everything around them illuminated by a spotlight. This further suggests a sense of helplessness. The light in the background and the darkness around the figures provides good constrast in the photo.

In glancing quickly at the picture, the image greatly resembles the "Madonna and Child" of Christianity. The way the woman is holding her child is similar to Mary's embrace of baby Jesus. Also, the woman's wrap on her head resembles the wrap Mary is wearing in the painting.