Couple
at Coney Island, New York, 1928
Walker
Evans (American, 1903–1975)
Gelatin
silver print; 8 x 5 13/16 in. (204 x 14.8 cm)
Metropolitan Museum of Art (Photographic Collection)
Biography:
Walker Evans is one of the most influential artists
of the twentieth century. Born in 1903 in St. Louis, Missouri, Evans showed
much interest in art, literature, and creativity through childhood and
adolescents. He moved to New York after finishing a year of college. In 1927,
he went to Paris and studied writing and then photography. After a year in
Paris writing short stories and nonfiction essays, Evans returned to New York not
only as a writer but with a big interest in photography. Most of Evans' early
photographs reveal the influence of European modernism, due to formalism and
emphasis on graphic structure. But he wanted to develop his own style of
realism. The Depression years of 1935–36 were those of great productivity and
in 1935 he accepted a job from the U.S. Department of the Interior to
photograph a government-built resettlement community of unemployed coal miners
in West Virginia. He had a full-time position as an "information
specialist" in the Resettlement Administration, a New Deal agency in the
Department of Agriculture. In September 1938, the Museum of Modern Art opened American
Photographs, a retrospective of Evans' first ten years of photography.
Between 1934 and 1965, Evans published more than 400 photographs and 45
articles in Fortune magazine. He worked at the magazine as Special
Photographic Editor from 1945 to 1965 and not only developed the portfolios,
executed the photographs, and designed the page layouts, but also wrote the texts.
In 1975 he passed away.
Reference: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1987.1100.110
Description:
1.) My first impression
of this photo is that it’s an intimate moment of a couple that are enjoying an
afternoon at Coney Island. They are gently embracing and not aware that they
are being photographed which makes it that much more sweet and romantic.
2.) It’s a timeless photo
in the sense that it shows love and tenderness between two people spending a leisurely
afternoon. However, the clothes and surroundings of course indicate that it was
photographed from the early part of the 1900s.
3.) The subject of the
photograph is that of a male and female with their backs to the photographer
overlooking the water from the boardwalk at Coney Island.
4.) There is a formal
balance of organic form (the couple’s bodies, the water, trees) in contrast
with the geometric structure of the amusement park and the boardwalk. It’s a
black & white photo hence there is a range of grayscale values. There are
some elements of pattern and repetition within the architectural structures.
5.) There are a range of
vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines embedded within the photo. But mostly,
it’s a vertically formatted piece. The space is at least 85% filled with
positive elements and the couple’s heads are placed as the photo’s focal point.
The space is relatively shallow.
Analysis:
1 1.) The
repetition of the boardwalk structure and building structure in the
background—with lines and arches draws my attention in contrast to the softness
of the couple’s embraced gestural position.
2.) The space is
organized around vertical structures. However there is a nice contrast of
horizontal and diagonal lines, too.
3.) This
photograph shows informal (asymmetric) balance). The proportions are nicely
define the couple in the foreground making them larger in site in relation to
the building in the background. †he contrast is mostly midtones with the
occasional pop of highlight and richness of shadow.
Interpretation:
1 1.)
The photo
showcases a loving couple on a sunny afternoon overlooking the water and
amusement park at Coney Island in it’s early incarnation.
2 2.)
The message
shows a typical and leisurely afternoon that is both personal but also historic
documenting the site.
3 3.)
The photo’s
purpose is both romantic and documentary.
4 4.)
The photo
feels nostalgic—it’s timeless.
5 5.)
It reminds me
of my family that immigrated from Italy to Brooklyn. My grandparents always
spoke of their fond memories at Coney Island.
Evaluation:
1 1.)
No, my
impression was consistent.
2 2.)
Yes, I
believe the photo is both formally and conceptually successful.
3 3.)
It’s unique
because it captures this specific moment in time that can’t ever be recreated
again—just as any photograph does.
4 4.)
No.
5 5.)
It’s a
clearly composed and thoughtful photographic structure pertaining the
principles and elements of art & design.
6 6.)
Yes, the
photo was carefully planned—the photographer took his time to structure the
position and placement of his relationship to the subject.
7 7.)
Sure, I would
be happy to have this photo present in my home.
8 8.)
Certainly—it
makes me self-aware of how to carefully consider compositional constructs when
approaching my own photography.
9 9.)
This photo
inspires me to leaf through old family photo albums in remembrance of my
grandparents and their experiences of growing up in Brooklyn.
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