The location stuck out in this picture. The men seem to be in a building but, not in a room by itself. The room seems to be divided by a hanging sheet. I did not notice this until I noticed the open window. The window is open but you cannot see the entire window. Showing the room must be divided by a sheet of some type. I thought this was peculiar at first but then I inferred that the men might have set up a separate area from the main living area. This makes sense because the houses were probably one room. The photographer seems to be at a higher lever then the rest of the men. I inferred this as the photographer was standing instead of sitting like the rest of the men.
The mood of this photo seems to be relaxed, or concentrated. I inferred the mood relaxed because all the men are just sitting around not showing any worry. Two of the men are taking the time to play a game of checkers showing that they have some free time from work. I also chose concentrated as a mood because although it is free time, everyone seems very focused and concentrated on what is occupying their time. I think the photographer wanted to show that the labor camps are not as bad as everyone is making them out to be. I believe that the photographer wanted to show that the workers still had time to play games and enjoy themselves.
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting that you pointed out the picture does not appear to be in a room like I originally thought. I agree with that it was probably in a large building, and it shows that even though living spaces might have been small these people were still able to find space to enjoy one another and relax. I like how you pointed out the angle of the photo. I think the photographer did this so that the viewer would not know what the two people in the back were exactly doing. It creates suspicion in the viewer’s mind, which draws you even further into the picture. I feel like they could also be playing checkers, or some other type of game. One thing that I noticed was the men were dressed differently, and seemed to be dressed fairly well. I would have expected them to all be in the same type of clothing or not dressed as well. This adds to the fact that not only could people find enjoyment in hard times, but they could also look decently well in the process. This photo is a great description of how the photographer was trying to shed some light on an era we associate to be fairly dark.
Just another observation about this photo that you didn't mention is the fact that the window being open means it's probably hot inside so the season is most likely summer. You mentioned that the man in the black hat is looking at the game and not the men's faces. I think he is probably scoping out the players moves to see who has the advantage and who is the likely loser. The best part of this picture in my opinion is how focused all the men are on this one simple game. They are utterly unaware of the photographer standing merely feet away from them. You made the comment about the photographer standing up and thus the picture is taken from an upper angle. I think that he also was trying to take the picture without breaking their concentration, almost as if he is lurking above as inconspicuously as possible. I agree that the mood is relaxed but I think it also has an air of weariness, as though they have worked hard all day, and are ready to go to sleep but want to stay awake and enjoy each other's company and the game they are playing. I feel like the overall purpose of this photo is to capture people focusing on something that is a distraction for them from some of the conditions they have to live in.
ReplyDeleteHannah's interpretation cleverly brings our attention to what we can and cannot see in this image. The men do seem relaxed, which supports your claim that the photographer wants to show a more positive depiction of the labor camps. Like the rest of you, I'm intrigued by what cannot be seen here. The sheet, for example, raises questions: It it meant as a partition for a larger space? Was it placed there to help the picture develop more clearly? Also, what are the men in the background doing, and where are they? Do they all live together, or are they congregating here?
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