Comparison and Contrast - Research Paper Example

Type the company [Type the document [Type the document sub [Type the introduction The first piece of photograph was taken by an American photographer known as Dorothea Lange who built her reputation in the field of photography by taking the picture of the migrant farmers living in California during the depressing time that started in 1929. The picture above is known as Dorothea Lange Migrant Mother Nipomo California North America (1936) with the description as Gelatin-silver print, 12.5 in to 9.16” (31.5* 25.2 cm), The Museum of Modern Art New York. The Museum of Modern Art New York holds all the copy rights of this picture as well (Barnet 2002)1. This picture Dorothea Lange Migrant Mother Nipomo California North America (1936) was known as the best image of its time. This abstract picture presents different dimensions of a simple life. The technique used by the photographer is “realistic”. The photographer has focused on presenting the real expressions of the woman and children who were a migrant and were suffering through depressing time in those years. The aim of the photographer behind the picture could be presenting the feelings and emotions of the people who were suffering badly and this is the reason this picture presents realistic situation (Barnet 2002). The second picture by the name of Café "Au Tambour" was taken by one of the renowned photographer i.e. EuGENE ATGET back in 1908. The picture has been taken from the Archives Photographiques of Paris. The picture thus reflects history of Paris i.e. they were very interested in the instruments such as drums (tambour), there were different signs of metal workers moreover showing the signs of the modern life with the help of distorted figures in the doorway of the café (Frizot 1999)2. Technique could be realistic or naturalistic. The picture has the realistic technique. This document has not only more than one function but more than one ontology. The photograph was included in an album by the name of Enseignes ET Vieilles Boutiques De Paris. This album deals with the aspects of the modern life. It was sold to Bibliotheque National between 1910 and 1915. These albums were not placed in library files, in fact they were catalogued under the name do the photographer i.e. Atget as if they were published books. With this transfer for the archive to the book, the documents entered the new century. The professional viewers were considered as a general viewer. At this time or the history of the photography, the old hierarchies of the technical signs were upset. Thus, resulting in windowpane became the critical space (Frizot 1999). The albums thus posed a different problem for the document as the photography was of modern life, which when compared in the case of the cabaret, was considered and assumed as a low life of the lower classes. But the photograph of the Café "Au Tambour" doesn’t bear any of the signs of the objectivity. Thus, the document proposed one another form for its truth. The truth about the cabaret was shown more of through obscurity. The men do not speak much, they stare out at others with faint interest, the door has closed off any sense of the drink, outside there is but a chalked menu and cold stone. Comparison and Contrast The picture of Lange is representing love and emotions. It portrays a mother sitting with all her children relying totally on her for everything. They are afraid of the dark outside (referring to the depressing environment and the life they are going through) and they see their mother as the source of comfort to them. Further it represents a sadness that is all going through. All of them are in the poor conditions with sad emotions and focusing on thinking about their condition. The same dimension is presented through the tears and face expressions of a woman. She seems to be crying and preoccupied in her hopeless thoughts and wondering about the condition of family. Further she looks disappointed and tired of her family’s sufferings. She is so hopeless and tired that those expressions of faintness in the mind are clear on her face. This picture is so clearly taken by the photographer that it represents a clear reality behind the scene which was observed through photographer’s observation at that time. This picture could not said as just the simple spontaneous snapshot by the photographer but this picture is one of the master piece that carefully combines the composition and the subject matter which is attention grabbing and holds an attention of viewer for the longer time. This picture as well portrays the feelings of photographer towards the sufferers. While in the picture by Atget, the artist has revealed some facts in his usual way. The picture shows a café in a bright winters day. The light which is being reflecting shows a view of the city in the glass window of the café. The technical signs have been bumped against one another but there still remain plenty of intermediate space which is left open. In one of the following space i.e. windowpane Atget has captured his own reflection together with his own camera on another mans head to give it an abstract feature. The window is not considered crucial to the technical signs. It should have been kept free of any of the reflections in order to preserve the pictorial integrity of the portico. The photographer has worked on his reflection into the free space between the technical signs. Atget has compromised the technical perfection of his image without limiting its usefulness. Though, the following technique allowed him to insert himself among the signs within the picture. The photographer has not identified himself with the technical signs of the picture. Thus it results in the functional ambiguity in the place. It was with the help of the following binding and grafting of the technical signs that the photographer i.e. Atget emerged as an author and called himself auteur-editeur. If anyone says anything about the knowledge here, the knowledge is not provided as a transparency but as a block. Modern life has been shown through interrupted bodies, shadows and glare. And yet the photograph has not turned its back on the fact and the truth to reach another aesthetic alternative. The photograph has turned towards more of a prosaic philosophical ground. Overall, it explains that popular culture is one which is not to be comprehended as an object; rather it is unthinkable and hard to see. conclusion Both the photographers have presented a realistic situation. The major differences which are spotted through the analysis of both the pictures are that one of them Lange focuses on an emotional sad reality where as the picture of the Atget has been captured with more focus on the technical features of the picture. To make the picture abstract the Lange captured a pose of the sufferers which was quite possibly suggested by her to them for the best portrayal of their current condition. But the other photographer Atget has fully utilized his perfection of technical aspects. Such as to make it abstract he fits himself in to the picture by his technique but makes his image a little ambiguous. Both the pictures focus on the histories of some town or people. The photograph by Lange is historical representation of the depressing days migrants faced in the California whereas the photograph by Atget portrays the history of Paris. Overall, it could be concluded that both the photographer using a single technique “realistic portrayal” have taken pictures in entirely differently ways. Which elicits that creativity and capability of every photographer is different and is not limited to anything and the work could be done in an entirely unique and creative way producing a master piece on even a single focus subject. Further it could be evaluated that photographs and paintings are the best expressions of the individuals and they are servings human since years. The painters and photographers have not only the right to observe the reality but they can present it to others in best ways (Phillips 1989)3, such as these photos were taken years back but still portray two histories, two realities and two situations of real people to the people of present time. Bibliography Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing about Art. Prentice Hall, 2002. Frizot, Michel. A New History of Photography. Konemann, 1999. Phillips, Christopher. Photography in the Modern Era:European Documents and Critical Writings, 1913-1940. New York: Aperture, 1989. Picture 1: Picture 2: Read More