The Perception And Analysis Of Migrant Mother

Analysis, Pages 4 (867 words)

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Similar to any form of art, whatever is created is subject to the perception of the viewer. This is certainly true in regards to an art as visually consuming as photography. There are various ways in which a photo can be viewed, and they may even differ from the original purpose that the photographer intended. The iconic photo taken by Dorothea Lang entitled Migrant Mother is a visual masterpiece not only for its beauty but for the variety of ways the photo can be analyzed.

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There are several realms of thought that can be applied to this photo. Although the Phenomenological Approach initially applies to reading, Wolfgang Iser’s prose certainly can be applied to the Migrant Mother as well. Iser goes on to relay that, “the more a text individualizes or confirms an expectation it has initially aroused, the more aware we become of its didactic purpose, so that at best we can only accept or reject the thesis forced upon us” (Iser, Phenomenological Approach)[footnoteRef:0].

Within this excerpt Iser references how the text of a particular piece has the power to influence our perception through confirming our initial feelings regarding the piece, causing those to either agree or disagree with the purpose of the artwork . Therefore when applying this notion to the Migrant Mother, the same can be said. Perhaps an individual already has a preconceived notion of the photo upon viewing, the more the photo resonates with that particular idea will ultimately impact how this individual feels about the photo.

Iser furthers off of this point by stating, “more often than not, the very clarity of such texts will make us want to free ourselves from their clutches”(Iser, Phenomenological Approach). Iser relays that only further analysis will only allow for audiences to be freed from the creators intent. Thus meaning that further viewing of the photo will lead to a release from the Dorothea Lang’s intended message thus allowing the viewer to devise a thesis of their own. The Reading Process sheds light on another concept that can be applied to the Migrant Mother, that being the “time-sequence”. Iser expounds on this concept by relaying that some texts are too overbearing to absorb within one moment. Therefore, “the reading process always involves viewing the text through a perspective that is continually on the move, linking up the different phases, and so constructing what we have called the virtual dimension” (Iser, Phenomenological Approach). Iser subtly references how our perception may change upon reading a certain text multiple times. The same can be said when viewing the Migrant Mother multiple times, someone’s view can be totally different from the initial interpretation. [0: ]

Similar to Iser, Stuart Hall too has writings that aim to revamp how artwork is interpreted. Within his writings on discourse, Hall iterates, “this idea that physical things and actions exist, but they only take on meaning and become objects of knowledge within discourse, is at the heart of the constructionist theory of meaning and representation” (Hall, Discourse)[footnoteRef:1]. Hall relays that we can only gain knowledge within the notion of discourse, therefore until that is applied, one cannot truly learn. Discourse must be used even when analyzing the Migrant Mother, Hall implies that discourse is essential in order to derive knowledge within a constructivist approach. Hall examines this approach with the artwork of several artists, one in particular being Las Meninas by Velasquez. Upon analyzing the artwork, Hall derived that there is no one correct meaning behind the painting, which can be said of the Migrant Mother as well. [1: ]

The most applicable findings regarding how to analyze the work of Dorothea Lang come from philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant begins his work entitled the Analytic of the Beautiful within a definition of taste and how it correlates to finding the beauty in an object. “The definition of taste on which I am basing this [analysis) is that it is the ability to judge the beautiful. But we have to analyze judgments of taste in order to discover what is required for calling an object beautiful” (Kant, Analytic)[footnoteRef:2]. In order to deem the Migrant Mother as a beautiful work of art, Kant implies that one must first examine the contents by which taste is judged. One way we do this is by using our imagination, “rather, we use imagination (perhaps in connection with understanding) to refer the presentation to the subject and his feeling of pleasure or displeasure” (Kant, Analytic). Therefore, taste is neither a cognitive nor is it a logical judgement, yet taste is solely a subjective judgement since everyone has their own interpretation. Hence, the Migrant Mother, will have an insurmountable amount of critique since we all will view the picture with our own perspective biases and preconceived notions. [2: ]

Each of these influential writings contain prose that help audiences truly determine how to analyze a work of art. Iser, Hall and Kant have individually comprised a criterion by which the Migrant Mother, alongside any piece should be properly examined.There are so many elements within this photo that make it beautiful and further analysis can applied to truly grasp it’s beauty and that goes for art of all kinds.