How quickly can you change your opinion about something or someone? At first glance, a random stranger covered in tattoos could be assumed to be a horrible person. Would your opinion change when you were told that he donated every Christmas to an orphanage? His parents died in a car crash when he was little and knew the pain of having no one on Christmas. How quickly can the idea in your head go from good, to bad? This is what the background information can do; it transforms your opinions about anything, a person, a car, even art.
Art can be very controversial, because some people see one image and other people see a completely different image. For example, the pictures from 9/11 are inspiring to Al-Qaeda, but horrific to us. Art in photography is extremely controversial because it can change something from a horrific image, to a beautiful photo. It can change a horrible battleground into a beautiful spectacle. When the pictures of Iwo Jima were shown to people in the United States, they were horrified. This 11-mile island held one of the worst battles in the pacific; it had 28,000 casualties on both sides. The month long battle produced some of the worst war photography of the war. In this war-zone, there was a memorable scene of a group of men hoisting up an American flag on top of the main hill on the island. That image appears to be the Americans winning the fight on Iwo Jima. Even though we did win, the battle was far from over at that point, three of the six men that hoisted the flag; died in that battle. This photo later became one of the most influential photos from World War II, and won countless awards from the photography world including the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. Art especially in photography can deceive you into believing in something that was never even there.
People use photography to change something completely Susan Sontag says, “Often something looks, or is felt to look, “better”(260) in a photograph. Indeed, it is one of the functions of photography to improve the normal appearance of things”. “Beautifying” and “Uglifying” are terms that Susan Sontag uses to show how images can be transformed completely by the photographer. For example, in the photograph explained above, these men were glorified as heroes when they returned to the United States. These men didn’t do anything amazing or spectacular, they just raised a flag. The photographer tries to “beautify” the struggle of raising the flag, but it wasn’t a difficult task. It was just six guys hoisting a flag. These methods used by photographers can completely distort the actual image being shown.
Photographs can change the image seen, by using techniques as I previously stated. The photographer Margaret Bourke- White has some images that seem like something but could be a different thing entirely. The first photo I chose was a photo with a couple kissing in the street at a celebration. The man is in a uniform and the woman is in a dress, other people are celebrating around them. Only this wasn’t a normal celebration, it was the celebration of the end of World War II, most likely the most influential war of the modern century. This image could be seen anywhere. It could be an image of a man coming home from a quick military service. Art transforms this photo into an iconic scene between two lovers who were separated by war who finally get to be together. Susan Sontag explains this through “Photographs lay down routes of reference, and serve as totems of causes”(261). I can relate to this photo because I have been away from my house last year and I know what it is like leave the people you love. The first couple weeks away are hardest, getting adjusted without them. The long phone sessions and emails written just add to the grief without them. Trying to stay connected to someone while being constantly away from him or her is not an easy task. But when that time comes when you are finally reunited and you see their smiling faces again. It is truly a wonderful and indescribable sight.
The next photograph I chose by Margaret Bourke-White was a more controversial photo. It was not a war photo because its not only war photos that art transforms. “A beautiful photograph drains attention from the sobering subject and turns it toward the medium itself, thereby compromising the pictures status as a document” Susan Sontag (258). This photo shows a group of African Americans holding baskets standing in line for something. A billboard is hanging over them with a family in a car and the billboard reads “America, Worlds Highest Standard of Living”. This photo makes the reference to irony and racism. First off, it is ironic that America that has the highest standard of living has people who are most likely standing in line for food. Also all of the people under the billboard are African American, and all the people in the car are white, referring to racism and how white people are usually more successful than African Americans. Yet remember, Art transforms, these people are most likely standing in line for a soup kitchen, and in these times, white families were more successful than African American families. Do not be fooled however, this was not all bad. This photo was most likely post-WWII; this was the time where all the social reforms for African American people were taking place. This was the age of Martin Luther King Jr. and his reforms, this was when African American people started being recognized and started the ideas for equality for all humans. This photo could have been inspiration for the young Martin Luther. This photo could have inspired a lot of people to fight for social reform. I can relate to this photo because I have seen hardship like this photo. I have traveled to a town with a group where they did not have electricity, working toilets, and they grew everything they ate, we sat down and had lunch with the people of this tiny village. They work everyday on their farms only doing hard manual labor it was truly eye opening. We sat down in a little house with an aluminum roof, the chairs were plastic and the bowls were dirty. They tried their best to impress us with the meal, it was a stew of chicken and rice and other vegetables. It was a small meal because they did not have much to offer, but I have never felt more honored to eat at someone’s table before. Even though their work seemed tough they graciously gave me food and they were happy about it. They wanted to live in their village it was there home. Their hardship made me sad but it also motivated me to do more. If these people could do all this work, I can walk instead of driving.
The last photo I chose by Margaret Bourke-White was a photo of a man searching for mines, with his device looming near the photographer as if he is looking for mines near the feet of the photographer. At first glance, it seems that this man is looking desperately for mines so that they don’t hurt his platoon. A noble cause, but then you realize that the photographer would be standing on the mines he is looking for, ergo, the mines would have blown up already. I found this a little bit comical because he is obviously posing for the camera in this photo. This is another example of Beautifying. The camera is clearly trying to glorify him in this picture when in reality he is searching for nothing. The photographer has tricked the audience into thinking he is looking for mines when clearly this whole image is staged. The camera would have blown up if it were on top of the mine that this man is searching for. This photo is a perfect example of how an artist can distort your idea of an image.
Art transforms the images that we see. Artists try to shape the image in the art to persuade you to see the image they want you to see. Art in photography especially persuades you through the many tactics used by photographers. Susan Sontag explains “Photographs objectify: They turn an event or person into something that can be possessed. And photographs are a species of alchemy, for all that they are prized as a transparent account of reality”(259). The art shapes your idea of the image and makes it something completely different than what it could be.

Picture Citations:
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=margaret+bourke+white+war+photographs&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1259&bih=649&tbm=isch&tbnid=Doi5Sdf1OdZY4M:&imgrefurl=http://fr.photography-now.com/artists/K06246.html&docid=m9h17_1IjDqeRM&w=138&h=200&ei=KqmTTqjpKIjo0QHj78HCBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1001&vpy=311&dur=376&hovh=160&hovw=110&tx=107&ty=118&page=2&tbnh=145&tbnw=98&start=20&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:21,s:20

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=margaret+bourke+white+war+photographs&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1259&bih=649&tbm=isch&tbnid=zGdFps0GIhpn3M:&imgrefurl=http://www.atgetphotography.com/&docid=0DRmiKzpdghtXM&w=300&h=226&ei=KqmTTqjpKIjo0QHj78HCBw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=587&vpy=255&dur=473&hovh=180&hovw=240&tx=124&ty=100&page=5&tbnh=126&tbnw=167&start=84&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:18,s:84

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=margaret+bourke+white+war+photography&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=1259&bih=649&tbm=isch&tbnid=tSKzlgP7k3aXOM:&imgrefurl=http://amandarivkin.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/margaret-bourke-whites-second-world-war/bourkewhite04/&docid=McqztWBTRBKnPM&w=2642&h=3000&ei=_6mTTvKlOIfg0QG2uumtBw &zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=634&vpy=298&dur=430&hovh=239&hovw=211&tx=94&ty=166&page=8&tbnh=140&tbnw=128&start=147&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:147

Posted by Shaz at 2:14 PM