'A family on their lawn one Sunday in Westchester'Denotative: Some denotative aspects of this image include there is a woman and a man who appear to be sunbathing. The lawn takes up 2/3 of the image, and there is a line of trees in the background, with the sky above. theres a table in-between the parents, and the child is also behind them and in-between. Theres a swings and other goes far behind he parents, and 2 of them are half cut off.
Connotative: Below the surface level, there's a lot going on in this image.The table in between the parents is a circle, which may represent unity and perfection, eternity and fulfilment. However the circle 9s broken up with 4 lines, which may symbolise the strain in their relationship, their false hope they had for their marriage. The position of the child is significant, he is placed in between them, which implies that he might be part of the problem that is making them so unhappy. The 'fun' items such as swing sets and ball games are behind the parents, maybe this hints at the idea of childhood, and is commenting on the dullness of adulthood in modern day society. We also cannot see any evidence that the sun is actually out, thought it looks like they are sunbathing, maybe it's just a facade. There's no shadows anywhere, so maybe this is symbolising their shallowness, the emphasis is on outer appearance rather than deeper fulfilment. Finally, the composition of the image leaves 2/3 of the frame as grass which is quite empty. Maybe this has something to do with the parents feeling; loneliness and sadness. |
'Identical Twins'Denotative: Some denotative aspects of the image include thats this is a pair of identical twins who are both standing up side by side against a wall. They are wearing the same dress and have a similar short haircut. They both are wearing a white headband, and one is slightly smiling.
Connotative: Below the surface level, there's a lot going on in this image. The theme of identity is overwhelming; the more you looks at the image, the more differences you begin to spot between these twins. While one girl is frowning, the other one is smiling. This image is conveying the truth that though they look identical, they both have individual personalities and identities. The angle of the path is asymmetrical, the girl on the right is slightly taller so she's further down the slope. This reinforces the idea that though they look extremely similar int heir appearance, they are not the same person. The girl on the lefts fringe is slightly more messy than the girl on the lefts, which may hint thatch is more unhappy and disorganised than her sister. As it says in Graham Clarke's book "The two aspects open up a critical gap between what we 'see' in the photograph and what we are asked to 'view'. In this he is referring to the stark difference in this image between the denotative and the connotative meanings. Though they are identical, they are actually very different twins, and Arbus has actively portrayed this by details such as the differences in fringe, stockings, collars. |