Photo Looks example essay topic

Upon examination of a photograph by Walker Evans and one by Jewel Stern, the viewer can easily see how the photographers use ordinary scenes to display the continuity and monotony of everyday life and the insignificance of the "little people."Building Facade", a 6 3/4 " x 8 1/2 " gelatin silver print by Walker Evans, taken in 1934, is a black and white photo of what appears at first glance to be just a picture of a building with some people in front of it going about their everyday business. The photo looks as if it was taken from across the street, as if Evans was in the third or fourth floor of another building. The shadowing in the photo makes the bottom right corner of the picture look really dark and the rest of the photo is semi-dark, with the focus of light being just left to the center of the photo, emphasizing a worker unloading a truck. Ironically, the area that the light is focused on is the only area of the photo that is blurry. Besides the worker, there are other people who are probably just pedestrians and shoppers. The bottom floor of the building is all stores and the rest of the building is just rows and rows of windows.

The building looks dark and gloomy, towering over the people, casting a huge, dominating shadow on them. Although the photo looks as if it is just a random, true-to-life representation, a hidden meaning lies behind it-a meaning similar to the one behind "Tosca Bakery" by Jewel Stern. "Tosca Bakery" is an 8" x 12" ect a-color type C print of a 1982 bakery window. The photo looks as if it was taken from a position right in front of the window, with no focal point.

But because it is picture of a window, the reflection from the glass makes the entire picture look blurry. At first, one might think that this is just a bad picture, but after speculation, one can see that Stern purposely wanted the picture to look blurry-that is why it is a photo of a window. Inside this window, like inside almost any bakery window, one can see different types of cakes on display on the bottom shelf. However, the viewer tends to notice the many rows of Looney Toons characters, directly above the cakes. Neatly lined up are numerous figurines of Sylvester, Bugs Bunny, Speedy Gonzalez, and various other well known characters from the cartoons. The browns, yellows, and similar earth colors of the characters' clothing stand out to capture the viewer's eye.

Similar to "Building Facade,"Tosca Bakery" appears to be a simple photo of what people see in their ordinary, everyday lives-both scenes that anyone can see on any given day. However, a closer look at both photos reveals the artists' intentions at taking the photographs. When looking at "Building Facade", the viewer's eyes move in a direction from left to right, starting at the top left corner, and take in the continuous rows of window after window. Similarly, in "Tosca Bakery", the same type of row after row (this time of Looney Toons characters figurines) takes the viewer's eyes. Both artists seem to be depicting the monotony of life.

By taking scenes that are already so common to everyday life and adding a touch of something so repetitive (the windows and figurines), the artists put an emphasis on the triviality and insignificance of life. Unlike the "Tosca Bakery,"Building Facade" has people in the picture. These people are going out their daily activities, the shoppers in the shadows and the worker illuminated. However, they are tiny compared to the grandiose size of the building. The people are barely noticeable, taking up about a half inch of the picture in comparison to the building, which takes up the entire photograph. Evans could be trying to convey the idea that people are insignificant-since they look insignificant in this photo (even the title does not allude to the people).

The worker, who is an important part of American society, is illuminated, making it seem as if he is important. However, his image appears blurred and obscure, which also contributes to the idea of insignificance. Therefore, one might interpret this effect to be saying that the job that one holds is trivial. People work for a living, to support their families so they can have a nice life, but if the work they do is trivial, then perhaps the reason why they work-life-is trivial also. This same idea of triviality can also be seen in the "Tosca Bakery".

The display in the window shows how commercial America is. A bakery is marketing toys for a known cartoon production. But shouldn't a bakery sell just baked goods? So why the unnecessary accessories? One might perceive this photo to be a representation of what a money market America has become. The United States has come to a day in age where places like car dealerships have to entice its customers by having live radio broadcasts and free food, and similarly, a bakery has to have toys to sell to bring in the little kids who will then ask mommy to buy some cookies.

This form of marketing shows how the United States has become a place where the major concern is how to make more money; forget about the well-being of the people, just focus on more profits. And when businesses get that frame of mind, people like the worker and the shoppers (like those in Evans's "Building Facade") are the ones who get looked over, the insignificant, unimportant ones. Although both photos differ in color, location, and time period, they both appear to be replications of seemingly insignificant aspects of life while actually conveying messages of seemingly high importance-the monotony of daily life (which is a result of the level of importance that is placed upon business and economy) and ultimately results in the insignificance of the people..