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November 01, 2005

Postcard Analysis: Jamaica Kincaid

The name of the image on my postcard is "Jamaica Kincaid," and the photograph was taken in Bennington, Vermont by Annie Leibovitz.

Studium

The photograph is in black and white. There is an African American woman standing in the center of the photograph. She is wearing a sun hat, a plaid shirt, what appear to be jeans, and boots. She is holding a hose and a shovel in her hands, and the hose is running. She is looking straight at the camera, but is not smiling.

Behind her is a garden, full of plants, and even further in the background are trees, but these trees are out of focus. The out-of-focus trees contain a lot of white, as opposed to the plants in the garden which are mostly gray toned.

Punctum

This photograph was taken not too long ago, as the woman's style of dress is modern. It was taken on one of those nice summer days when it is not too hot out. I say this because the woman is out gardening, connoting that the weather is warm, but she is still wearing long pants, which indicates that it is not scorching hot. It is a weekend day, specifically a Saturday or Sunday morning, because that is when most people do their gardening. The sun is shining brightly on the out-of-focus trees, indicating that it is not going to set anytime soon, therefore it must be the morning. I imagine this photograph to have been taking in a small suburban town because the quality of the garden is superior and there appears to be plenty of yard space for planting.

The woman has just taken a moment away from her work to pose for the camera. This is evident because the water is still running out of the hose, indicating that she is in the process of watering the garden. Also she is holding a shovel in her hand, which shows that she was working on digging a hole as well. She looks to be about 50 years old, judging from the wrinkles in her face, but is in good physical shape (she is not overweight and she has a nice, tall posture).

It is hard to pinpoint her attitude in this photograph. Her eyes are somewhat squinted and her mouth is closed forming neither a smile nor a frown. It almost looks as though she is about to open her mouth to say something. Her posture is relaxed, as she holds the hose loosely in her hand. When I see her I imagine her having a leisurely morning. She is just out in her yard enjoying her garden and taking in all that nature has to offer. She seems content with her life. She is at a point in it where she can relax and get back to life's little pleasures, such as gardening in the morning.

This image reminds me of family, as I can imagine her grandchildren coming to visit her later in the day. It has a comfortable feel to it, perhaps because I grew up with a mother who enjoyed gardening during the summer. In my experience, those gardening days were relaxed. No one had anywhere important to be...we could spend however much time we wanted doing anything we wanted. This photograph reminds me of that feeling, and the fact that it is in black and white even further simplifies it. When I look at it, my eyes do not struggle to interpret all of the different colors, they only have to work with black, white, and shades of gray. I think that Annie Leibovitz did this on purpose to create such an effect.

Posted by lcissullivan at November 1, 2005 10:15 AM

Comments

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