Diane Arbus: Identical Twins, 1967
On reviewing Arbus' work, art blogger Robert Nelson of 'The Age Australia' was highly critical, stating:
At first glance this photograph appears crude and imperfect.
The skewed angle of where the bricked-floor meets the wall, and unusual
expressions on the girl's faces make the photo appear as if it was taken in a
hurry. However, on closer inspection, it is clear this was intentional. The way
one sister has a faint smile, and the other a frown shows the differences
between their personalities- even though they are dressed the same, and have
the same physical features, their minds are completely separate.
Vague Interpretation:
The girl on the left may appear unhappy as she is frustrated
with being dressed to look identical to her sister, and consequently being made
to abide by the stereotypes of how identical twins should appear. In addition,
the girl to the right may seem happier, as she may enjoy attention from the
camera and may be more comfortable with the choice of clothing- this further differentiates
the two, as this may not be how the left twin likes to dress every day, for
example.
There also seems to
be a slight awkwardness to the photo. Both girls are standing in close
proximity to one another, and have very straight, unnatural posture with their
arms pointing straight to the ground. Therefore, it is clear this photograph
was choreographed, but was made to appear accidental. Although, I believe this
was Arbus’ aim- I suppose Arbus may have taken inspiration from the array of
awkward family photographs documented at that time.
Two years before
receiving her first camera, Diane Arbus wrote:
(1) "There are and have been and will be an infinite number of things on Earth. Individuals all different, all wanting different things, all knowing different things, all loving different things, all looking different. . . . That is what I love: the differentness.”I think this statement is strongly represented in this photograph. I believe she tried to show that even if two individuals look similar, they have hugely different personalities.
On reviewing Arbus' work, art blogger Robert Nelson of 'The Age Australia' was highly critical, stating:
(2) "The prints are overwhelmingly dull, almost grubby. Black and white photography can easily achieve luminosity, because the paper is naturally bright and light-catching. But Arbus kills this either in her negative or her printing (probably the latter) to leave us with grey highlights and an overall leaden quality, visually unrewarding and depressing"Although I can understand his point of view, I believe the lack of luminosity works well, as I find that your eyes are drawn directly to the girl's faces. The crudeness of the printing makes the photograph appear eerie and home-made, giving the impression the photographer wanted to emphasise the imperfections and make them instantly noticeable (without being distracted by a glossy finish).
Harold Edgerton: Bullet Through Apple, 1964
Of
all of Edgerton's photographs, this composition is my favourite. This is
because the photo misleads you- by this I mean it looks simple and natural,
completely belying the amount of technology and effort required to make this
image possible. The main reason for this is the lack of blur- the crispness and
detail of the photograph makes the whole scene appear stationary. I also
like the use of contrasting colours; the red of the apple and blue of the background
complement each other, giving a bold and modern character to the piece. In
addition, the balance of the photo is almost perfectly central, as the bullet
and apple reach over the same distance from the edges of the work. Furthermore,
this photograph has a strong educational value, as it shows you how objects
react when a fast-moving bullet is fired through them (i.e. liquid from the
apple is forced back in the direction the bullet travelled from).
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