Analysis of the Photograph "The Mistaken"

Analysis of the Photograph "The Mistaken"

  • Submitted By: fahameed
  • Date Submitted: 03/10/2010 3:27 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 2138
  • Page: 9
  • Views: 431

The Mistaken Analysis
Even without knowledge of the title, the photograph elicits the empathy of the viewer as a lone woman swathed in a vibrant red coat and gloves sits hunched on a park bench. The woman has one red glove covering the side of her face that matches her red jacket and nestled red purse, while the rest of her clothing including her hat and pants deepens to a black. The way she is slightly hunched seems to depict the burden she bears as she shields herself from the reality of the world with her hand. The picture is taken at her left side angle and she sits on the right side of the photograph. The photograph depicts her gloom and seems to emanate notes of her despair still hanging in the apparently chilly air. The dying embers of the sun reflect long shadows from the barren trees behind her onto the gritty gravel pathway. In the background, more shadows of trees and empty benches sprawl and disappear vaguely into the receding distance. The photograph emanates a feeling of isolation, as it is largely devoid of any life and is likewise evident from the shadows that all other benches are vacant in the picture, leaving the red woman to sit on her bench alone amidst a frozen and lifeless atmosphere.
The usage of colors helps to enhance that feeling considering that the picture is to a certain extent bereaved of colors, taking an almost natural sepia tone to it, except for the woman and her red colors which draws the eye of the viewer to her. Upon closer inspection, small clumps of snow in the {text:soft-page-break} gravelly distance lay lingering in a thoroughly melted world. A partial trunk of a tree clung to by one of the last remnants of melted snow stands to her right, as well as the edge of a lamppost base that also appears in the photograph. The last persevering clumps of white snow, untainted and pure, appear to represent the survival of the woman's hope even as it is slowly overcome by its harsh surroundings. The only other colors visible...

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