Photographs are images that speak louder than a thousand
words, but what are they trying to tell us? In this essay we'll discuss
about the meaning and background of two images comparing and contrasting them. Both
are part of our history, not as a nation or as individuals but as part of a
whole which is humanity itself. The time in which these pictures might
have been different but the message that each of this images delivers has lived
on through the years.
I shall begin with the
picture on the left; it shows a soldier acting violently against citizens of
the former Yugoslavia, most probably of Muslim descent. The artist intended to
depict the brutality of the environment in which the people lived and he
manages to do so by using the rule of thirds to increase the impact of his
picture. The soldier's prejudice actions are the main focus of the picture. Another part of the
composition which gives the picture an oppressive environment is the attitude
that the other soldiers have towards the act, almost complete indifference this
reflects perfectly how the government was in that era. Pain in the picture is obviously outlined with
the posture of the civilians and in some manner their submission is sketched by
placing them on the lower frame of the picture, which gives the composition
it-s final touch.
Whilst the picture on the
left depicts oppression, hatred and submission the picture on the right shows
us a different panorama, it shows us the aftermath to the first picture, Manda
Patko a widow. The artist tried to represent the sorrow felt during a visit to
the memorial site for the victims of the Serbian attacks in Vukovar, Croatia.
The intention of the photographer was fulfilled due to the role that shadows
play in the composition. The background is filled with a neutral color in this
case “white” which contributes to create a sorrowful environment, because of
the proximity of the subject. Mrs. Manda gives us a feeling of being close to
her and therefore to what she feels, the picture itself is grim and a bit
unpleasant but visually attractive and has a clear message which I‘d say is
“war never changes”.
Both of
the pictures that were previously discussed have a thing in common both of them
are relate to one of the worst war
criminals of the last century, Ratko Mladic , who ordered the killing and
oppression of the Yugoslavians. he was the bringer of sorrow for many others as
it can be seen in the second picture. the pain caused by these crimes became
something in common, something that changed recently. The pictures
although alike in many ways differ in the way each situation is depicted. In the first picture the stress and the
intention are more than obvious, in the second picture you have to let your
mind soar a little higher.
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