As it is said in the textbook, photography was informational when it was created and gradually became the important art that it is today. From the kinetoscope to the digital cameras of today photographs are images of a particular moment. However, I think that in most cases a shot is more than what it shows.
Mamadou Kanonaté is a Malian photographer whose work is often related to daily life. In this photograph he took a shot of women fishing with a hand made net. In the foreground we see a woman firmly holding her net, and in the background other women are working with the water almost reaching their waist.
The close-up on the net makes the viewer feel somehow caged. For me this is Kanonaté’s way of showing that those women are also caged. But it also
shows their strength. You can see the woman’s veins on her arm. If this photograph is put in context, it is like those women are resigned to this situation. Even though the facial expression of the woman in the background, we can still see her emotionless expression. She is doing her job without enjoying it, and at the same does not seem like hating it.However, the use of sepia toning gives a warmer view of the situation. As if the photographer says “yes its hard work and those women are caged but they are mothers and they do their job.” As a viewer, I think Kanonaté is acknowledging these women.
Mamadou Kanonaté is one of the few “known” African photographers and I couldn’t find the title of this shot. Photography in Africa has still a small part in African art but its ability to capture with precision things we all know about but ignore could in my opinion highlight what is important. According to me this photograph is as still as the status of women were decades ago in some parts of Africa.
This was a good read. Very detailed even so much as to give information on sepia. Viewing the image along with reading your essay went hand in hand. The last paragraph however was not very clear. It started off smooth then it seems as if your thoughts started to stray or you still had much to say but lost track. Please clarify the conclusion of the essay**Jennifer Abbott-Pope
ReplyDeletethis is a very detailed anlysis of the photograph. I think that you have got the main points of the artist but in contrary, I beleive that the use of sepia toning gives a touch of sadness to photographs. it accentuates the feeling of pain and exposes better the sensation of duty rather than pleasure in the execution of their task. this photograph would not have the same effect on the viewer if it was more colorful because some colors reflect a kind of happiness or pleasure. good job.
ReplyDeleteI read your comments and made some changes but the more significant ones start at "However, the use of sepia....". I hope it's clearer... ^^
ReplyDeleteAs it is said in the textbook, photography was informational when it was created and gradually became the important art that it is today. From the kinetoscope to the digital cameras of today, photographs are images of a particular moment. However, I think that in most cases a shot is more than what it shows.
Mamadou Kanonaté is a Malian photographer whose work is often related to daily life. In this photograph he took a shot of women fishing with a hand made net. In the foreground we see a woman firmly holding her net, and in the background other women are working with the water almost reaching their waist.
The close-up on the net makes the viewer feel somehow caged. For me this is Kanonaté’s way of showing that those women are also caged. But it also shows their strength. You can see the woman’s veins on her arm. If this photograph is put in context, it is like those women are resigned to this situation. Even though the facial expression of the woman in the background is not clear, we can still see her emotionless expression. She is doing her job without enjoying it, and at the same time does not seem like hating it.
However, the use of sepia toning gives a warmer yet sad view of the situation. As if the photographer says “yes its hard work and those women are caged but they are mothers and they do their job.” As a viewer, I think Kanonaté as a man is acknowledging these women’s hard and painful work.
Mamadou Kanonaté is one of the few “known” African photographers, but unfortunately I could not find this shot's title. This is an example of how small photography's part is in African art. I suppose people do not realize yet how powerful it is, and maybe in some cases they are scared of that power. For example in this photograph we may debate the woman condition. Photography is a very honest art that exposes things as they are and many things can be said about the world with a single shot.
Just like you say,"the use of sepia toning gives a warmer view of the situation". also, your essay is very good analysis. You can "see" the veins on women's arm. because this veins, it shows hard work in this picture. -Li-
ReplyDeleteWell done. The revision did wonders to the original article.**Jennifer Abbott-Pope
ReplyDeletethanks^^
ReplyDeletekhadidja
The picture showed the poorness and difficulty which the African women were facing. I like the way you describe the women were fishing with emotionless. That is a acceptance woman's fate with resignation.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading your essay. I'm really intrested in photography so I really loved the topic.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful essay Kadidja. It is nice to see your line of thought as you observe and analyse the photograph.
ReplyDeleteyou said " As a viewer, I think Kanonaté as a man is acknowledging these women’s hard and painful work" - I would examine this sentence again. If you think that Kanonaté actually had this meaning in mind then perhaps you can find a support for your claim, or put it as a question. it is also possible that this is your read, and this is quite alright. In fact it will be interesting to ask - what if he did not mean to show woman's hard work. Would the photograph express woman's hard work less for you?
I like the way you express your thoughts, and also how your picture related to your ideas... good job
ReplyDeleteRahman Saliu