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October 30, 2005
Louise Bourgois
My postcard is of Louise Bourgois, taken by Annie Leibovitz in New York City. It's actually interesting in mentions that it was taken there, as it is only a photo of the upper half of a woman, no background, landscape or anything at all besides her. Well, I suppose the wall behind her is textured, but that really could be anywhere!
Studium: This black and white photo is of a very elderly woman looking at her hand. It is her profile, and there is a lot of emphasis on the wrinkles of her skin. Her hand is brought up in front of her face and her fingers are spread apart. She looks as if she might be Native American, and has long, straight, combed-back black hair with gray strands. Her ear is very visible and she is wearing a hoop earing. She is wearing a colared longsleeved shirt, which is a bit blurry towards the front of the photograph, as if out of focus being closer to the camera lens. The old woman's eyes seem to be squinting, and she does not have a clear emotion on her face.
Punctum: I think a big point of the photo is its emphasis on the woman being old and worn, yet by examining her hand out in front of her, it suggests that she is still curious about the world and the things out there to learn, and about life. Her wrinkles are very well defined and in the center of the photograph, serving as a focus point. I think the profile view is more powerful in this instance than a straight on traditional portrait view would be because it accentuates the woman's features, and the fact that she is looking at her hand. She appears as if she could be Native American, and the way she brings her hand up to her face gives me the feeling she could be thinking over a deeper meaning in the ways of her tribe. Although she is clearly very old, she is still beautiful in her own right. Her hair is kept long and combed back and she is wearing earrings, showing that she takes pride in her appearance and continues to live life to the fullest despite her age.
Posted by lcisthur at October 30, 2005 09:43 PM