Different Time, Different Emotion
At any time and at anywhere, children gather and play together. We also have our own beautiful memory of playing with friends outside when we were kids and sometimes indulge in the reminiscences of our childhood. What if someone took pictures of the scene of us running and playing? Here are two photographs of children playing together. One is called "Playing in Street Sprinkler" by Juvenile Aid Bureau, New York in August 8, 1937. The other is called "Children Playing Baseball" taken in 1913 by Lewis Wickes Hine, a sociologist who used photography as a documentary to inspire social form. These two pictures depict children playing together, but the moods of the two are completely different as they are taken in different era.
In "Playing in Street Sprinkler," a bunch of children gathered below a street sprinkler. The children are wearing swimming suits and seem to enjoy the cool water during hot summer. A boy in the left is trying to avoid the water while others are standing below the water. Their motions show that they're enjoying the moment, thus giving energetic feeling to the picture. Behind the sprinkler and the children, a long apartment is placed as a background. The uneven surface of the building gives feeling of liveliness and refinement with is modern textures. Behind the sprinkler and on the right side of the picture, some people are standing and cars are parked. Though they are not the main center of interest, they tell that the place where this picture is taken is busy and lively. Also the light is shinning on the sprinkler and the group of children playing near it. It not only highlights the main center of interest but also makes the picture look bright and cheerful.
In "Children Playing Baseball," there are much more children but they are scattered. Some are on the left or right side and the others on the center are the only ones who play baseball. Children on the left or right side do not play. They just look at the boys on the center playing baseball. In addition, a girl on the left side and three or four kids on the right side are not actually watching the baseball game. They're looking at the camera and it means their minds are not with the players. Therefore, it gives a feeling of isolation, loneliness, and disconnection. The light is shining on the children on the left side, not children on the center. The children playing baseball, the main center of interest is on the dark side; it makes this picture look dim and gloomy. Behind the children, as a background, there are tall walls made of bricks. The wall surrounds the three sides of the place. The texture of the background gives gloomy and poor feelings and because children are surrounded by the walls, it also gives the feelings of pressure and depression. Furthermore, there are laundries hanging above the children. Also, the children on the right side are on a wagon. Compared to cars in the first pictures, it shows poor and old image.
The two pictures depict children playing together. They focus on children and both of them are taken in towns of a city. They show activeness of children as catching the moment of children's playing. However, the mood of each picture is significantly different. First one gives bright and cheerful feelings with the help of light and the background while the second one shows dark and gloomy feelings due to the dim light and background objects. Furthermore, if we consider the time and place when and where those pictures were taken, we can find out a better interpretation of the two photographs. "Playing in Street Sprinkler" was taken in South Harlem during late 1930's. During this period of time, the U.S. was still suffering from the Great Depression. Life was hard and especially for those in Harlem, life was very tough. However, we can still have good feelings from this picture. In contrast, "Children Playing Baseball" was taken in 1913 when the U.S. was enjoying its prosperity. However, we see gloomy and dark feelings in the picture.
Two groups of children are depicted in these two pictures, we feel activeness through the motion of children playing in the street sprinkler and playing baseball. However, in the first one, we feel cheerful, energetic, and lively while in the second one we feel gloomy and depressed. Also it's interesting that the feelings of each picture are opposite to the moods of situations when each photo is taken; first one gives positive feelings during tough time while the second one gives negative feelings during prosperous time. Yet, in both pictures we're attracted by the activeness of the children's playing and the memory of old days.
No comments:
Post a Comment