unofficial blog for course ART007

Lehigh University
Art Architecture and Design
113 Research Drive
Building C
Bethlehem, PA 18015

Emma, Motion of Light in Water - Lehigh University Art Galleries

Motion of Light in Water

 

This photograph was taken by Garry Winogrand in 1970, but it was printed in 1975 as a part of his “Women are Beautiful” series.  It was taken in Central Park, New York and is untitled except for “Fountain in Central Park”.  The photo crisply captures a moment in time.  THough there are no blurs to show motion, it conveys motion in all directions.  You can see ripples created in the water by the man on the left.  The woman in the center has her arm back as if she is about to throw something.  In the middle ground you can see individual droplets of water coming off of the tiers of the fountain, showing the motion of them all falling towards the water below.  Further back in the fountain you can see a group of people playing with a ball or frisbee in the water, the ball is shown high up in the air and the young man below is seen jumping up towards it.  Though the photo is still and crisp, there is motion everywhere.  The strong quality of this photo is its depth.  Rather than just focusing on the people directly in front of the fountain in the foreground, you can see all the way back to being the fountain where some sort of event is happening.  This creates a very busy background, however the separation that the water provides creates a clear sense of organization in the photo.  The lightness of the sun reflecting off of the water contrasts the darkness of the crowds of people and trees in the background.  

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