Today was my first time at the Chicago Cultural Center and I enjoyed it to the fullest. In this paper I am supposed to critique an art exhibit but I truly don't know where to begin. Every time I turned around, there was yet another amazing picture staring me in the face. Photos taken by Chicago based photographer Larry Snider. If I could I would talk about all of them I would but I chose four to elaborate on.
The gallery was a piercing white that seemed to make the photographs jump out and engulf you. Photo after photo, I stopped and I studied. The faces were so real it was like looking the actual subject in the eye. I never knew that black and white photography could be so calming. It was like you could feel what these people felt, as they smiled, you could in a sense, feel their happiness. .
The first photograph I chose was titled Monk Near Stackna Monastery (2003). It was a really good example of limited depth of field. The way the Monk stared at the camera drew you in so close that you would feel like you were the photographer. Every hair in his face was visibly seen. The photo was so clear that you could see every single loose strand of hair that was flying in the wind. All I could do was stand there in utter amazement.
Man with long pipe (1990) was the second photograph. It was a full body photo of a man sitting in a chair holding a long pipe. This picture was so beautiful and so textured that you could see the cracks in the door behind him. It looks as though the photo was taken in doors but still had evenness in the contrast. You could even see the paint chippings on the floor alongside the wall. .
Another photo taken in 1990, 93 Year Old Woman was probably my. It just captured the essence of a strong Asian woman that although elderly, could still take care of herself, by herself (considering the fact that she was standing). Ever wrinkle, smile line, and crease could easily be seen. That was amazing to me, as a woman, to see a woman at such an old age displaying the warmth and happiness of a woman three times younger than her.