The worn, grainy look does much to humanize the figure. The angular lines and striations vs. the soft flow of greys and the grace of form provide a perfect poise between the nostalgic sentiment found here and a contemporary context. Despite the high-key manner, the contrast is kept conservatively contained in the shadows, which, effectively, avoids the potential impression of forced post-processing and artifice and, instead, credibly anchors the excess of light around a black point.
Given the gesture of the left arm and right-to-left gaze of the subject, the crop (centering the verticals vs. having the face further to the right) is, IMO, a plausible choice, as it likely minimizes the presence of redundant white space to the left of the niche.
The concentration of shadow toward the upper third of the picture is an oddity, which could, to my senses, be taken either as a distraction from familiar viewing habits or as a latent charm unique to the work.
This photograph has a strong personal appeal to me, probably because of the fine sensory poise and the aesthetic emphasis it affords anyone with an air for such things. |
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
