Janet Dodd
ENC 1102
January 22, 2013
Shock Factor
French artist Marcel
Duchamp said, “Unless a picture shocks, it is nothing.” A number of the photographs at the gallery
opening were shocking to view. Some pictures were in poor taste, made women
appear to be victims, and were difficult to view. To the average person,
photography is just pointing a camera and clicking to capture a specific moment
in time or emotion, but to a photographer it is an expression of an experience
or feeling of themselves. While viewing the photographs, feelings of fear,
anger, and dismay erupted along with an uneasy emotional reaction. It was
difficult to see exactly what some of the photographers were trying to express,
however it is difficult to imagine it could be anything more than evil. Despite
the wide variety of definite opinions about a few of the photographs, overall,
it was an enjoyable experience.
Fear, anger and sadness
are just a few of the troubling emotions triggered by the photograph labeled
“Not Such A Big Man Now” by Susan Tassin.
The picture has an apparently angry woman, holding a very large handgun
and pointing it at the photographer, whom we are to assume, is the object of
her anger. It can be concluded that, the woman if from a lower income family by
the trailer in the background and the number of “trashy” items in the area
around her. Was the artist attempting
to express the stereotypical, “trailer park trash” girl? Guns elicit a variety
of responses from different people. In
light of recent media events, guns are viewed as dangerous and too easily
obtainable. The country is still grieving
for the families in Newtown, Connecticut where just over a month ago, so many young
children and teachers were violently killed at Sandy Hook Elementary school. A
young man killed his mother, and then opened fire on the people at the school.
There was also the tragic shooting in Aurora, Colorado. A lone gunman set off tear gas in the
building and the shot into the audience of the movie theater killing 12 people
and injuring 58 others. At a time that the country is calling for changes in
gun laws and begging for protection, this picture is in poor taste. Many people say, “guns don’t kill people,
people kill people,” but it is much easier for a gun toting person to kill,
than an empty-handed person. The answer is unclear, however a change is
necessary.
“The Road is Hell” by
Susan Tassin. What can be said about
this photograph? This photograph definitely
had the “shock” factor. Disturbing on so
many levels, this picture shows a woman with her hands bound behind her back, wearing
very little clothes and apparently left for dead on a dirt road. We can only
assume that she must have been assaulted in some way, then tied up and left. We
all know that these types of things happen, however to snap a photo, put it on
the wall and call it art is tasteless and vulgar, if nothing else. Is the photograph depicting a personal
experience? Is this the artist’s way of dealing with the incident? Could this have happened to someone that the
artist knows? Was it just something that just popped in the head of the
photographer one day leaving her to say, “I have an idea for a photo”? We shall
never know the answer to these questions, however, the artist did succeed in
making viewers contemplate and wonder, why?
One of the most moving
images in cinematography was the young girl in the red coat in the black and
white film Schindler’s List. In the
movie, the audience is drawn to the little girl even though she is in a crowd
of over a hundred other fleeing people.
The photograph called “Cowboy” by Jessica Roman uses the same
technique. The black and white photo is
of a young boy sitting on a wood fence, covering his face with his cowboy hat;
however his plaid shirt is in color. While
viewing the photograph, the attention is focused not on the background or the
boy himself, who appears to be trying to hide away from the viewer, on the
bright colors of the boy’s shirt. This
photo effectively captured the shyness or playfulness of the boy. Although the picture had no ribbons awarded
to it, it was, without a doubt, one of the better photos.
In Marcel Duchamp
correct? Is a picture really nothing unless it shocks the viewer? I believe that a photograph should not only
be an expression, but it should also be appealing to view. “Cowboy” by Jessica
Roman draws the viewer’s attention and elicits a positive feeling. Art is very ambiguous; however, I don’t feel
that all pictures are indeed art. If the audience is so appalled by what they
are viewing and decide to voice their opinion and thoughts against the work to
others to dissuade them from viewing the work, what good is it to have taken
the photograph in the first place?
Sometimes, a shocking photo is just that, a shocking photo.
