Introduction: The photo I chose for the analyst is “ Migrant Mother” Taken by Dorothea Lange during the Great Depression. Though the entire nation was feeling the turmoil of the Great Depression, Dorothea's way of capturing the harshness was second to none. The image “Migrant Mother” pictures a distressed woman by the name of Florence Owens Thompson with two of her children holding on to her, captured in a makeshift tent in Nipomo, California in March 1936 (MoMa.Org). The image itself is just raw. The kids are turned away and the sheer look of defeat on the woman's face is unreal. It is said that Lange,”created this iconic photograph by emulating well-known Christian iconography of Mary and the infant Jesus in an attempt to compel 1930s viewers …show more content…
Photographer: Dorothea Lange was an influential American documentary photographer and photojournalist known for her compelling range of images depicting social issues such as poverty, displacement, and injustice (Zelasko). Dorthea Lange was born on May 26th, 1895 in Hoboken, New Jersey. She later grew up studying photography at Columbia University in New York City (Zelasko). After university, Dorothea then traveled across the world before settling down for an actual job. After working for a studio and gaining some recognition from previous photographs of unemployed men, Lange was commissioned by the Farm Security Administration in 1935 (Zelasko). Lange's empathetic approach to her subjects and commitment to capturing the human condition made her perfect for capturing the scenes of the Great Depression. As discussed earlier, the Farm Security Administration was the one who employed Dorothea Lange when she captured the famous “Migrant Mother”. She became widely recognized for her work during the Great Depression, including works like “Migrant …show more content…
Composition: The composition of Lange's “Migrant Mother” is very, very simple yet so powerful. As you know, Florence Owens Thompson, the woman pictured, can be seen with a dull face layered in dirt with her kids layed in her arms. Although other pictures from the same series show the entire place where the woman and her children reside, “Migrant Mother” just shows her and her children and it became the most viewed picture. I believe the tight framing of the image allows us to focus on the main subjects without getting distracted. She also could have simply opted to only show the woman's face, but including her two children just adds much more to the photograph as she has to fend for them as well. There are leading lines present. The line formed by Florence Owens Thompson's arm and the children's heads lead the viewer's gaze towards the focal point of her face and her emotion. The contrast between light and shadow makes the scene just look gloomy, even if the style was used on a different subject. Overall, Lange's masterful composition in "Migrant Mother" amplifies the narrative of struggle and survival, sacrifice, and human
It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you’ve been though, everyone will feel the emotions of isolation and fear at one point in their life. Everyone can relate to these artworks. Both Maria and the figures in Dow: Island has sought out a new life in a foreign country making them the foreigners or ‘asylum seekers’ in their new home. Dow: Island shows the harsh journey but Maria displays that even though the desired destination is reached there’s still allot of work involved to survive.
The film “Documenting the Face of America: Roy Stryker and the FSA/OWI Photographers” amplified how things were and how the photographers that worked on the project were affected from taking these photographs. When Dorothea said, “If you come close to the truth, there are consequences” was especially true. These photographers had to see things that could never be unseen. The photographs that I discussed in the paragraphs above show how the photographers were affected from what they had to see. Also, they had the control to be able to show what they wanted the viewers to get from the photos. In the end, sometimes one has to push the limits of the truth in order to get what one is really looking for and this is exactly what all of the photographers did for the FSA
The artist known as Dorothea Lange is renowned as one of the most influential photographers of the Great Depression. This unit of study is focused on the in-depth history of Lange, her art collection as a whole, her aesthetic appeal to the public, and how to apply her work to a production lesson for 4th or 5th grade.
When economic disaster struck the country… Dorothea Lang knew that somehow she had to be a part of the fight to win better conditions for the poor…Lange had very strong feelings about social injustice and her feelings came through clearly in her photographs. Because she did not come to Washington until the next spring, Lange did not take part in those early, highly important discussions and critiques. Her work was done separately in the early days and primarily on the West Coast. Even so, Lange’s pictures spoke for her and had a tremendous influence on the formative period of historical section. ...
Richards focus is that of the ignored; a people that otherwise have been forgotten. It’s his compassion to his subjects and his commitment to them that surpasses the act of making a pretty picture. Spending days with his subjects in the slums of Harlem or the hardly developed mountains of West Virginia he immerses himself into the frequently bitter life of his next award-winning photo. Often including word for word text of testimonials recorded by junkies and destitute farmers, Richards is able to provide an unbiased portrayal. All he has done is to select and make us look at the faces of the ignored, opinions and reactions are left to be made by the viewer.
Art could be displayed in many different forms; through photography, zines, poetry, or even a scrapbook. There are many inspirational women artists throughout history, including famous women artists such Artemisia Gentileschi and Georgia O’Keeffe. When searching for famous female artists that stood out to me, I found Frida Kahlo, and Barbara Kruger. Two very contrasting type of artists, though both extremely artistic. Both of these artists are known to be feminists, and displayed their issues through painting and photography. Frida Kahlo and Barbara Kruger’s social and historical significance will be discussed.
I glance amusedly at the photo placed before me. The bright and smiling faces of my family stare back me, their expressions depicting complete happiness. My mind drifted back to the events of the day that the photo was taken. It was Memorial Day and so, in the spirit of tradition my large extended family had gathered at the grave of my great grandparents. The day was hot and I had begged my mother to let me join my friends at the pool. However, my mother had refused. Inconsolable, I spent most of the day moping about sulkily. The time came for a group picture and so my grandmother arranged us all just so and then turned to me saying, "You'd better smile Emma or you'll look back at this and never forgive yourself." Eager to please and knowing she would never let it go if I didn't, I plastered on a dazzling smile. One might say a picture is worth a thousand words. However, who is to say they are the accurate or right words? During the 1930s, photographers were hired by the FSA to photograph the events of the Great Depression. These photographers used their images, posed or accurate, to sway public opinion concerning the era. Their work displayed an attempt to fulfill the need to document what was taking place and the desire to influence what needed to be done.
In the photo “Striving for Normalcy” shot by Dorothea Lange, the theme is having fun in hard times. The photo shows a kid with a baseball bat hitting a baseball. They are playing baseball in a depression but are still showing that they can have fun. Dorothea took this photo in California during the dirty thirties aka the great depression. The photo shows that they were in a dried up field with bases and had a crowd playing some good old-fashioned baseball in California. Dorothea took these picture of a field to show that although they were having a hard time they still had fun playing games and cheered him on. The photographer took this picture to show that they may have had a rough life; they always found a way to do something and play and
Photographers had begum to document and publicize the issues of the race problem and the struggle for equal rights in the United States in the early 1900s. Early photographs documented protests against lynching, Jim Crow laws, and captured protest...
Asylums were thought of as a best place for the mentally ill in the 1900s, but over the years stories of abuses lead people to use drugs and outpatient care instead of sending the insane to asylums. In 1955, nearly 560,000 patients were put in mental hospitals, however, there are now only 35,000 in the twentieth century. There has been a ninety percent decrease in mental health facilities (Campbell 1). In the past, there were no asylums or institutions for the insane to be sent, so they were thrown in jail and were treated as criminals. Dorothea Dix could not stand the unfair treatment and took upon herself to spread mental hospitals around the world. Throughout Dorothea Lynde Dix’s life, she was sedulous to helping people; she built an academy
The photographers of the Farming Security Administration contributed to modern times both educationally and visually. Photographers like Russell Lee took photographs that not only captured the lives of those who suffered greatly with the Great Depression hovering over them, but also the emotions that these people felt. Russell Lee, like Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans found his opportunity to prosper during the Great Depression with his photographs that would document the average American life suffering the wrath of the Depression from either unemployment or lack of home or even both. ...
The mass media carries with it unparalleled opportunities to impart information, but also opportunities to deceive the public, by misrepresenting an event. While usually thought of as falsifying or stretching facts and figures, manipulation can just as easily be done in the use of photography and images. These manipulations may be even more serious – and subtle – than written manipulations, since they may not be discovered for years, if ever, and can have an indelible and lasting impact on the viewer, as it is often said, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. One of the most significant images of Twentieth Century America was the photograph of a migrant mother holding her child. The photograph was taken during the Great Depression by photographer Dorothea Lange, and has remained an enduring symbol of the hardship and struggle faced by many families during the Depression Era. This image was also an example of the manipulation of photography, however, for it used two major forms of manipulation that remain a problem in journalistic photography.
The saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” cannot be demonstrated more thoroughly than during The Great Depression, a time when there were not a lot of words to be said. The photograph of the “Migrant Mother,” taken in this time period, The Great Depression, has inspired me want to dig deeper into Dorothea Lange’s experience during that time period. When I first saw the photograph of the “Migrant Mother,” I could not get the image out of my head because it tugged at my heart and it is something I have wanted to learn more about since we discussed Dorothea Lange in class.
In 1890, Riis’ book was an instant success and had an immediate impact since it contained major social criticism, proving to be an eye-opening experience for the reader by highlighting details and facts incorporated in its pages. In a coincidence of good times, flash photography had recently been invented, yet Riis managed to master this new invention and became a pioneer in its use, employing the new technique to capture stark perturbing scenes. “The images he brought to the public’s eye were full of crowded tenements, dangerous slums and poignant street-scene images of a downtrodden underclass that most readers had only previously read about, at best.” Theodore Roosevelt, moved by Riis’s usage of pathos had an intent on improving life in New York, and he famously said to Riis, “I have read your book, and I have come to help” and improvement followed as he ordered affairs in immigrant neighborhoods. Riis brought hidden worlds to light and he continued to write many other books relating to the same topic.
Hard checks, high-impact hits, rough blows, knockouts, crushing tackles; some violence occurs naturally in some sports. Those naturally violent sports (e.g., football, hockey, soccer, wrestling, and boxing) with all that aggression and violence excites audiences and enhance enjoyment. However, aggression and violence in sporting competitions are clearly becoming an issue. Destructive aggression is often deliberate and frequently encouraged by coaches, spectators, and teammates. This aggression in becoming increasing accepted by the public and ever popular in today’s sporting events. Michael Strahan a player in the NFL said in 2007 that, “It’s the most perfect feeling in the world to know you’ve hit a guy just right, that you’ve maximized the physical pain he can feel….. You feel the life just go out of him. You’ve taken all this man’s energy and just dominated him” (Coakley, 2008). Clearly, Strahan’s words show the acceptance of aggressive behavior and even glorify this aggression.