Critical and Contextual Analysis

Fine art photography- there's no specific definition for this however, this refers to a category of photographs, created in correspondence with the creative vision of the cameraman; these images are usually abstract and surreal. The products must be appreciated for their imaginative, aesthetic or intellectual content. 

The image above is an example of fine art photography, as the vision of the photographer is clearly shown in the image above. The photograph is slightly surreal, and abstract which fits with the fine art definition, this is shown through the umbrella being on the womans head, upside-down which would be physically impossible to occur in real life. The overall atmosphere of this image is spooky, due to the fact you cannot see the individuals face, which is covered by hair. Moreover, the woman is wearing an old fashioned dress, which adds to the effect of the image being 'haunted'.

Mendel Grossman:

Connotation- an implied meaning 

Denotation- the literal meaning of the photograph 

Bathe's theory involves the...

1. Studium- this is an element which originally grabs your attention, this can range from clothes, colours, or a pose. 
2. Punctum- a small detail, which you wouldn't expect in the image (e.g. a portrait with a bee on the woman's chest)

Mendel was a Jewish photographer, he photographed Jews in slums on the streets. When world war two broke out, he photographed many images of Jewish people, and the struggles they faced. Him, and his family were removed to a ghetto, whereby he photographed them daily as they moved further to death. 

http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/ghettos/grossman.html

The image above is photographed by Mendel Grossman in the 1940's, the two children appear to be playing innocently; however, they're acting out something which is real, this makes the image have dark underlying reasonsoning- the young boy in the uniform is smiling showing how he doesn't understand the significance of what he is demonstrating, again highlighting their innocence. This photograph is taken in Lodz, which is a region in Poland, where Jews were sent to ghetto camps, therefore we can deduce that boy of the boys are Jews, as they're both in the camp. The boy who is wearing the uniform is displaying a badge on his arm, this is the punctum, as it shows hierarchy and power, as without this badge it would just be a plain, ordinary uniform. Additionally, the badge represents a section of Jewish people who patrolled the other Jews in this region, in order to keep order, as otherwise it would be a Nazi badge, and not the badge that it is if it was German individuals in control in this area. Moreover, the baton is a punctum due to the fact it highlights power, control, and punishment- it represents the child in the uniform controlling the other child. The children may be acting out a scene they've seen happen to someone they know, this shows there's dark humour in the image; in the article it states how Grossman 'knew how to observe and perceive what was happening around him', therefore it's easy to deduce that he saw this as a good opportunity to show how innocent the children, whom were being hurt, were. There's a clear fence around the boys in the background of the image, this may signify that both boys are together and united against the Nazi front; this also could mean that although one race may be 'in control/in power' (Nazi's) all humans are actually the same (Nazi and Jews), due to the fence showing they're in the same place- in contrast it also shows how the boys have constrictions and limitations on their behaviour. Due to the boys both playing in a hierarchical fashion (with one boy in charge of the other), this may highlight how they've been raised in a society whereby this is normal, and they believe this is the correct way to behave. This image was taken at a time when Jews had a stigma linked with them, therefore this is significant as to why Grossman may have photographed this image, and gives us an insight into his reasoning behind this photo, as Grossman wanted to document how badly Jews were treated in this time period. The black and white colouring of the image reflects the stigma towards the Jews, as it shows everything for them was bleak, and dull as they were effectively being held prisoners. The tones of the uniforms again highlights the difference between the two boys as the child in uniform has a darker uniform, whereas the other boy is in a more lighter coloured uniform- this may reflect the difference in how innocent the two boys are. 

By me researching information surrounding this image it has helped me gain knowledge of life in the Jewish getto, this is due to Grossman's photographs which give e huge insight into the first hand experience of individuals in this particular time period (1940's). Corresponding with this, I have learnt how individuals persevered and wouldn't give up in their fight against the Germans, demonstrated by Grossman as he risks his life merely to photograph these images in order to document the atrocities that occurred towards Jews. In the article it is stated that Grossman had 'found his mission'.

Above is a mind map I created in a group in class which helped me gather some of my ideas for the essay above.