the body | 10-14-14
1. formal observation.
my image portrays a woman dancing. she is performing a pirouette within a dance studio, shown through the hardwood floors and the ballet barre behind her. the photo is intentionally overexposed, with harsh, bright whites and dark blacks. the photo was shot with a slow shutter speed, causing the woman's arms and feet to appear blurred, lost in the motion. lines are an important part of this image, with the lines in the ceiling and the floor drawing the attention to the dancer. the line of the barre cuts through the woman, once again drawing attention to the dancer yet this time horizontally along with the black molding at the bottom of the brick wall behind her. all attention is drawn to the woman in black. the black and white creates an elegance that is paralleled in her dancing. the blacks and whites are very classical, just as the dancer is very classical in her choice of ballet as her style of dance and her gracefulness in her movements.
2. body language
the dancer's body language is very intriguing. her form is precise, with her left leg in a strong releve and her right in perfect passe. she is tall and poised, and very graceful, like a dainty music box ballerina. her face is also very composed. she is focused on the task at hand, and there is strength in her eyes. yet her hair is down and in movement from her turn, not up in a neat bun common for most dancers. it causes one to wonder if she really is composed or if she is actually full of anxiety, with all the lights and attention on her. her arms and feet lost in motion tell of flaws behind her seemingly perfect composure. is she confident in her imperfections? or are they tearing her apart? these questions are raised yet never fully answered. having such a photograph where the subject is in motion also creates a sense of incompleteness since the viewer is never allowed to see her pirouette brought to completion, nor the rest of her choreography if there is more to it. this is another question raised through her body language, the question of whether or not she finished her turn gracefully or if she falls out of it. the viewer is most likely left believing for the best, that she is a talented dancer and completes her pirouette(s).
the dancer's body language is very intriguing. her form is precise, with her left leg in a strong releve and her right in perfect passe. she is tall and poised, and very graceful, like a dainty music box ballerina. her face is also very composed. she is focused on the task at hand, and there is strength in her eyes. yet her hair is down and in movement from her turn, not up in a neat bun common for most dancers. it causes one to wonder if she really is composed or if she is actually full of anxiety, with all the lights and attention on her. her arms and feet lost in motion tell of flaws behind her seemingly perfect composure. is she confident in her imperfections? or are they tearing her apart? these questions are raised yet never fully answered. having such a photograph where the subject is in motion also creates a sense of incompleteness since the viewer is never allowed to see her pirouette brought to completion, nor the rest of her choreography if there is more to it. this is another question raised through her body language, the question of whether or not she finished her turn gracefully or if she falls out of it. the viewer is most likely left believing for the best, that she is a talented dancer and completes her pirouette(s).
3. art reference
this photo is similar to signorelli's "paradise" shown above. this painting is from the Renaissance, in the 16th century. signorelli was very open and honest in his paintings of the human body, not hiding flaws or making the bodies explicitly erotic. in this image, men and women are standing together naked in simple brotherly love. there is no inappropriate gestures or relations going on in this photo, but simply brotherly love. it shows how God made bodies to not be for sex or pleasure alone, but rather as a beautiful art form, a form of worship. i believe my photograph of the woman dancing portrays the human body in a similar way. she is poised and elegant, yet her form is lost in the motion, and her hair is down and whisping around her face. she is also clearly beautiful and the curves of her feminine figure are shown, yet not in a way that unnecessarily sexualizes or objectifies her. her body is being used for good-for dance, for beauty-and not beauty to just be used by a man, but rather to be offered as worship to God, or even joy for her and possibly whoever her audience is.
4. parallelism to modern culture
nike recently ran an advertisement showing Misty Copeland, who is an incredible ballerina yet not built like the average ballerina today. she was told she had the wrong body for a ballerina, and would never succeed in the industry. she proved her critics wrong. Copeland states, "“Like many women, I was told that I wasn’t good enough and that I couldn’t succeed, but I willed myself to where I am now. I think that’s a message that resonates with all women. success isn’t handed to us: we earn it.” (Source http://time.com/3083114/misty-copeland-under-armour-i-will-what-i-want/) this thought is inspiring and thought-provoking. these two photos of dancers parallel in their strength and composure of their bodies, yet Misty appears much more in an almost unnaturally perfect state, while the other dancer feels somewhat more normal in her imperfections. dancers constantly face the tension between yearning for perfection and success, pushing their bodies to their full potential, and also being told to be beautiful the way they are. i believe both sides of this can be seen within a dancer's face and body language if one looks closely enough.
