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  • Essay / A Virtual Analysis of a Harlem Family 1967, a painting by Gordon Park

    By simplification, a visual analysis is the type of analysis that provides an address on the formal elements of the work of art. Typically, these elements can include color, size, frame, and line, among others. Additionally, it could also address the historical context of the image or interpret its meaning for readers. Thus, in Gordon Park's photograph entitled "A Harlem Family 1967", we see a poor woman holding her son moving with her husband with their daughter moving next to them (Davies). The Gordon Park Foundation aimed to illustrate the grinding poverty in the United States. Additionally, it tells the story of a certain family at a specific time in American history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayIn the image, the message communicated is that of the poor state of New York. The streets were undeveloped and the vehicle seemed worn out, which meant poor living conditions (Davies.) The boy being held by his mother seemed so needy and tired of life in New York. Through framing, color, line, composition and concentration of many other elements, the essay aims to signify how poverty struck the entire city of New York in 1967. (Davies) In this image, the first view gives emotional context to poverty. deep in the mind. The aspects of helpless couples and children as well as streets with poor infrastructure in the United States lead us to poverty in the country. Additional research reveals that children were sleeping in rugs and not going to school simply because they did not have winter clothes. Gordon Park documented in a section of the 1968 Life magazine photo essay resulted in Gordon's contract with the Harlem Family 1967 (Davies). Its historical context is based on the dire living conditions of the Fontenelles, a needy African American in the late 1960s (Steidl). It was exhibited for 7 months at the “Studio Museum” in Harlem (Steidl). Some interesting features of the image include the old vehicles that were used at the time, and the deserted streets also have additional meaning on the theme of poverty. The photographer used several visual elements in this image in an attempt to clarify the theme. The color black and white was a sign of poor and ancient times, where technological advancements had not yet been introduced at the time. Normally, black and white illustrates the dark days when everything was still undeveloped. Additionally, the lines in the image have been well developed to create movement in the viewer's mind. Additionally, the photographer identified both position and direction through the use of linear elements. Additionally, the image has shapes and sizes resulting from the use of lines. Gordon's intelligent composition of black and white images juxtaposed with the vivid features of streets and buildings in an attempt to derive the idea of ​​poverty. This makes viewers want to check out more and more of the poverty of Harlem in 1967 (Steidl). A visual analysis of the photographic material would be incomplete without an analysis of the framing of the image. In the image provided by Gordon, the frames from high-rise buildings help the viewer draw attention to the desert and emptiness of the streets to signify poverty in New York (Steidl). Additionally, the use of frames creates some focus on the family in the image. You can imagine the situation in which the four family members had been placed on the same level as buildings and other objects.