A Jewish giant at home with his parents in Bronx

A Jewish giant at home with his parents in the Bronx, 1 by Diane Arbus; a key emphasis shows a giant carrying a walking stick in his right hand while pocketing his other. The giant stands directly in front of his kin, though the distance between them, their postures, and their facial expressions suggest that their relationship is not pleasant. The giant’s mother has her hands on her hips and a concerned expression on her face. The father observes with a solemn smile and his hands in his court pockets. The giant seems to be uneasy since the low ceiling forces him to pose with a hunched back. A keen analysis of the photograph reveals the contrast between the parents and their giant son which is seen by the standing position of the Giant next to his parents at the same time closer to the foreground. Another contrast is created by the special lens of the camera that makes the shadow of a black ring to appear around the corners which in turn contrasts with the white ceiling. Furthermore the space on the photograph brings an optical illusion that makes the viewer to think of the room as being slightly slanted revealing the people on it at different angles hence changing their sizes according to different viewpoints.

According to Susan sontag on her essay on photography, 2 the photographer always has a choice and this statement is practically visible in Arbus’ photograph. She framed her objects according to what she wanted them to be while choosing to print a photo that she considered quite odd thus taking her audience to another world of imagination .Most of Arbus’ photographs are contemplative portraits of conceptual photography that reveal the unexplored side of the world.

Arbus, Diane. A Jewish giant at home with his parents in the Bronx. 1970. N.Y

2Sontag, Susan. On photography. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1977

Bibliography

Arbus, Diane. A Jewish giant at home with his parents in the Bronx. 1970. N.Y

Sontag, Susan. On photography. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1977