To put it simply, a visual analysis is the type of analysis that provides direction on the formal elements of the artwork. Typically, these elements can include color, size, frame, and line among many others. Additionally, it might also address the historical context of the image or interpret its meaning for readers. Therefore, in Gordon Park's photograph entitled “A Harlem Family 1967” a poor woman holding her son is seen moving with her husband with their daughter moving beside them (Davies). The Gordon Park Foundation aimed to illustrate the terrible poverty in the United States. Furthermore, it chronicles a certain family at a specific time in American history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the image, the message communicated is the poor state of New York. The roads were poorly developed and the vehicle looked worn out, signifying the poor living conditions (Davies.) The boy held by his mother seemed so needy and tired of life in New York. Through framing, color, line, composition and focus of many other elements, the essay aims to signify how poverty affected the entire city of New York in 1967. (Davies) In this image, the first sight provides an emotional backdrop to the poverty in the back of the mind. The aspects of the helpless couples and children in the photo, along with the roads with poor infrastructure in the United States, bring us to the poverty of the country. Some additional research shows that children slept on carpets and were unable to go to school simply because they had no winter clothes. Gordon Park, documented as a section of the 1968 Life magazine photo essay, gave rise to Gordon's contract with the Harlem family 1967 (Davies). Its historical context is based on the terrible living conditions of the Fontenelle, a destitute African American in the late 1960s (Steidl). It is contained in the 7-month exhibition at “The Studio Museum” in Harlem (Steidl). Some interesting features of the image include the ancient vehicles used in that period, also the deserted streets have an additional meaning to the theme of poverty. The photographer used several visual elements in this image in an attempt to clarify the theme. The black and white color was a sign of the poor times of antiquity, when technological advances had not yet been introduced into the era. Normally black and white illustrates the dark days when everything was still undeveloped. Furthermore, the lines in the image have been well developed to create movement in the viewer's mind. Additionally, the photographer identified both location and direction through the use of the line element. Furthermore, the image has shapes and dimensions that emerge thanks to the use of lines. Gordon's clever composition of black and white images juxtaposed with the vivid features of the streets and buildings in an effort to derive the idea of poverty. It leaves viewers with the desire to increasingly verify the poverty of Harlem in 1967 (Steidl). A visual analysis of photographic materials would be incomplete without analyzing the framing of the image. In the image provided by Gordon, the frames of tall buildings help the viewer focus on the abandonment and emptiness of the streets to indicate poverty in New York (Steidl). Additionally, the use of frames creates some focus on the family in the image. You can imagine the situation where the four family members had been placed on the same level as the surrounding buildings and other objects. This would cause the viewer to focus more on the buildings rather than the people..
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