Photograph Analysis

In this photograph, there are two scenes being juxtaposed next to each other. One is the interior of an art print shop. The other is a couple situated outside of the window. The woman seems to be making a telephone call. The man looks like he is waiting for her to embrace him. Inside the shop, there are paintings and images depicting a wide variety of subject matter. There is a water color of a landscape, a somber portrait, a black and white photo and segments of renaissance-era oil paintings. There is also a small staute of a naked woman. Beyond the waiting couple is an urban setting, complete with large, grubby buildings and bustling traffic.

Aside from the literal elements of the piece, what immediately caught my eye was the statue of the crouching, naked woman in the corner of the shop. The figure seems slightly out of place in an establishment that primarily sells framed art work. Moreover, the stance of the effigy is interesting. Statues of nudes usually depict the model in an upright or reclining position. Instead, this statue appears to be uncomfortable and cowering, as if trying to hide her nakedness from the viewer. I feel as if the woman on the street is embodying such emotions as well, in a less obvious way. She seems to be reaching for the man, as if trying to pull him closer. However, he seems ambivalent towards her advances, as if he is angry or intolerant of her affection. For whatever reason, the woman feels vulnerable. She is reaching for someone who does not wish to provide her with any sort of comfort. The woman’s internal state is the statue on the shelf.

The construction of the image itself is that of layers. The first layer is the inside of the shop. The second is of the couple outside the window. The third is the city beyond the couple. In order to process what is going on collectively, the viewer must investigate each individual layer. Furthermore, the cropping is not crisp. Many of the objects are cut off by the edge of the frame. Perhaps the photographer wanted us to focus on the center beam of the shop, panning away from the middle in an inward “V”.