Hannah Gallagher

A classic example of Arnold Newman’s portraits, this photo captures the subject in their usual surroundings.   In this skillful way Newman is able to pay homage to the subject themselves while also acknowledging who they are.   Setting the photograph up in this way also has the further advantage of allowing the subject’s work and/or art to be honored. Arnold Newman’s portraits always capture the soul and essence of the subject, and it’s no different with this photo of Pablo Picasso. By placing Picasso in the center of the photo Newman sends the clear signal that he is the most important feature in the photograph. Our eye goes directly to him rather than anything else. The way he is sitting instantly makes him stand out against the art and everything else in the room.   Having him sit on the back of the chair is different and a slightly unusual sitting position which makes us instantly focus on him because it’s odd and stands out.   It was also a genius move i...

This photo by Ralph Gibson is not as erotic as some other examples of his photography and lacks the surrealist element he gives to many of them. However, it is no less interesting or detailed for that.   All we can really see of the figure is his back and a bit of his legs as he walks away. The background is entirely out of focus bringing our attention to the man’s clasped hands. From there our eyes naturally stray to the rose held in one of them. The focus of the photograph is clearly on the hands because they are in focus and so detailed compared to everything else.   The blurry background, and the simplicity of the back of the figure makes them uninteresting so we disregard both and look at the hands. Positioning plays a part here too—as having them at nearly eyes level makes them stand out even more.    The hands are simply a segue though. They call our gaze to the rose by the natural movement of our eyes and the figure combined.    The fact th...