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Gordon Parks captured this photo with the light focusing more on her upper body than her lower body. Her feet are almost unable to be seen, the shadow behind her is extremely dark, and her face and bust seem to have the most light shown. As a viewer, what I conclude from such lighting is the face of a gorgeous woman who is no doubt wealthy, but perhaps bored or unhappy with her life. With all that wealth and designer clothes, how could one be as unhappy as she looks? And by the light shining on her upper body, we know that these are designer clothes because of the gaudy necklace, glittery dress, and what seems to be a fur wrap in her hand. But are those things really important in life? Sure, this contessa may have "flare" in wearing these clothes, she does it all the time. I think that that is what her face is showing. I think it is showing her annoyance with her job, her want for an adventure.
This shot is taken at a slight angle upward. I believe that Parks took it from a lower view to capture her looking downwards. People who are happy don't look towards the ground, they look ahead. People who are happy also smile, as do people with elegance and beauty. I believe that this model wears these clothes because she is told to and because she's told she looks good. What she really wants though, is a life where she can be herself and have someone to physically lean on besides an inanimate object like the chair.
I really like where you are going in viewing her personal aspirations. She seems to be unamused with the vanity surrounding her almost as if she is aware of the masqueraded impossible existence that she is living. Her face shows a look of fake royalty mixed with despair like she is just wishing to be something more than the clothes she wears or the face she hides behind. I think that you are right in saying that she is wishing for adventure, or someone to lean on. I think you nailed the connection of the chair and the lack of a supportive audience. I cant really say whether or not any of this is what he was trying to capture but either way the message can be received that way. Overall this picture just seems pretty depressing despite the original intent.
ReplyDeleteMarisa had offered us a photo and interpretation that differs from a lot of expectations. I am intrigued by this interpretation because, when I think of models posing for fashion photographs, I don't think of people smiling. Unless the mood of the picture or advertisement is supposed to look happy or carefree, it seems to me that it remains rather conventional for models to look either serious or sexually provocative in fashion photography. Although I think that she looks strong, I definitely can see your interpretation of her as someone who is not entirely satisfied with her situation and who wants something more for herself.
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