unofficial blog for course ART007

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

Civil Rights, Emma

Civil Rights Photography

This image by Charles Moore shows Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. getting arrested, as he is being pushed against a police desk as his wife stands next to him.  What is most effective about this image is that amongst the chaos of what is going on in the frame, with all of the aggressive movement from the officers and the blur of the man behind the desk, in the middle of all of this, the composer of Dr. King and his wife stand out.  You can see Dr. King’s face very clearly, and his wife’s posture and face both show a certain calmness, all in a moment in which it seems near impossible to remain calm.  This is effective in showing aspects of the Civil Rights Movement in that it shows how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and all those protesting, had to remain civil in moments of chaos in order for people to listen and the frustration and anger that comes with that.  Charles Moore shows this and many other powerful messages in his images that captured the emotion and passion of the Civil Rights Movement. 

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