What is your first impression of this picture? I ask this because when I first looked at it, I did not know myself. To give a brief description, this picture is dated June 23, 2006, when I was 17 years old. I am standing on the middle log of the front gate at my mom's house in a village in Zhongshan, China. I am wearing the same style of clothing - white T-shirt and shorts - that I wear now and my old T-Macs. Also, my right calf is not deflated and squishy like the way it is now (and no, I don't shave). And that's it - or is it?
An image may capture the physical qualities of something, but it also offers difficulty in discerning the age, ambiance, and emotions that take place in that moment of time. You can obviously analyze the contrast of colors between the brown gates and logs and the white-walled dwellings on the outside. Furthermore, the brick wall is not the casual red that the color bricks are normally associated with; in fact, it blends in with the dull and mellow tone of the rest of the outside in this image. However, what can we tell about the age, atmosphere, and feelings of this picture?
Besides me, everything else has a hint of weariness and gloominess. The wall, buildings, and ground have been worn out, perhaps from years of obediently serving and housing people. Even the wooden logs that I am holding and standing on have cracks throughout them because of age. Similarly, the weather dampens the picture. The weather in China reflects the weather in California, except on a more extreme scale. When it is summer, the temperature stretches over 40 degrees Celsius, which is equivalently over 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss in humidity, and you will feel like you are constantly bathed in a warm and sticky bath. Fortunately, I do not seem to be suffering from the heat; in addition, my shirt is not drenched. I guess I was lucky: I must have rested in the house for a while. Plus, having a fan (not shown in picture) helps cooling down, too. Speaking of me, I appear to have a happy smile on my face. Of course, I could also be happily grimacing for the picture, anticipating for the moment my hands or feet slip (but I can tell you that that is not the case). My attitude happily mismatches the monotonous attitude of the environment around me.
*Extensively, as Chris mentions, "this image seems to be all about gates, boundaries, and portals." I must also add that there is a slight theme of imprisonment. From that perspective, it does seem like there are uncountable numbers of "entryways and exits beyond [the buildings on the outside]." However, am I better off entrapped behind the gates?
If I escape, how many more obstacles do I have to go through? Would I rather be engulfed in darkness and loneliness? Is the outside world too much of a mystery for me making me turn back "into" the camera? On the one hand, this gate protects me from the unknown; on the other hand, I will be stuck with what I have within the gate, but I will be safe. This new picture infuses a new perspective into my first image that emits curiosity and longing for something on the outside. There is a brighter world out there, and it might be worth the risk to extend myself through the tall gate to discover different portals and boundaries. I know I am cheating again with this picture, but it is too hard to resist posting it with the discussion of boundaries.*Okay, so I cheated a little bit while analyzing the picture, but one may also make the same observations by putting a little thought into it. An image may tell only so many things; adding a bit of brainpower may make it a little more real. So, what is my impression of this picture? It is the same as before, only that I feel a little sweatier with a grin on my face.
1 comment:
I find myself looking at the somewhat concentric frames, the openings and closures that tunnel into the background of this photograph. You are on a threshold with an open door, behind which is another building with windows and we can imagine the entryways and exits beyond that...and all this makes me want to turn the other direction, looking back *into* the camera, or out at the photographer, and wonder about this world of frames and framing devices. Do you see what I mean? Even the little brick all on the left-hand side has a recess in it, and we can see the mortar between the brick layers... this image seems to be all about gates, boundaries, and portals. This would add to your assessment of the uncertain status of "age, ambiance, and emotions that take place in that moment of time." I like how the environment has an "attitude." This is an interesting sense of space.
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