This image of an Afghan woman, taken by Steve McCurry, appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine in 1985. This image has remained one of the most captivating images to date. Please comment briefly on the following:
Why is this image so powerful? What makes an image meaningful? How does your audience impact the level of importance?
They eyes of the Afghan woman in this picture are captivating and the most powerful feature of the woman. They are very expressive and show anger and determination.
ReplyDeleteHer clothes are torn and tattered in places showing she is poor or has lost her belongings. But her eyes show unwavering determination to do something, to get somewhere and not give up. Although the woman looks unkempt in the picture there is something simple and pretty about her.
Her covered head tells us that people in her culture keep their heads covered.
This image is very powerful because of the woman's eyes. Many people say that the eyes are a way to see a person's soul. You can see so much emotion in this woman's eyes, and I believe that emotion is what makes an image meaningful. Audience impacts the level of importance because it is most meaningful if the audience can relate with the emotions portrayed in the picture.
ReplyDeleteI found the comparison picture amazing (this picture and the picture 15 years later) because you can still see the same emotions, but you can see how she, and her emotions, has aged so much in that time.
I agree that you can certainly tell a lot from the eyes and the facial expressions. There are so many images out there that describe so many items just by the expressions of the faces without even giving a caption or a description.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKate and Beena,
ReplyDeleteThank you all for your comments. I agree that the eyes of the woman in the photo most definitely tell a story of a lifetime of pain and suffering. It is amazing how one aspect of a photo can stick out and tell the viewer so much. Thanks!
Kristy
Her eyes seem to be the most powerful aspect of this photograph. It looks as though this Afghan woman has been through tough times with a sad look on her face and tattered clothes on her body. When I look in to her eyes it is as if there is still hope of one day making it through. I can see both pain and hurt in her eyes. When looking at the comparison picture of this same woman 17 years later I see some of the same characteristics, however it seems like the hope that was once there may be fading.
ReplyDeleteJodi