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| Untitled,from Playgrounds for Manhattan, 1938 by Eliot Elisofon |
Unlike some
of the other photographs I’ve chosen, I selected “Untitled” mostly due to its
interesting form, rather than the content. The image depicts a young man or boy
sitting on a strikingly large concrete structure. The boy sits, perhaps
uncomfortably, with a pensive pose. It
is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It appears that he’s on some sort of beach
or even a desert due to the sand-like earth the structure sits on. Behind him,
in the dark is a collection of buildings that at a glance could be a hill. The
sky above him is an ominous gray. Although there are clearly clouds visible,
the lack of light makes it difficult to judge what the weather or time was
actually like.
As mentioned
before, the form of the photo makes it stand out. Even though the image is
relatively dark, there is a stark contrast between the lights and darks. The
concrete structure that dominates the image has an appealing geometric symmetry
to it. Its smooth curves and sharp angles form together nicely. On top of that,
the darkness of a shadow cuts through the shape and onto the sand. The
additional lines of contrast only add to the appealing geometry. The buildings
in the background are so dark that they lack almost any identifying features.
The photo, without context could take place anywhere.
Although the (lack of) title doesn’t give any
clues as to what the photograph is showing, the other information given by
TIME.com gives a few hints. TIME says that the photo is from Playgrounds for
Manhattan and was taken in 1938. That one sentence of information unlocks a
load of information and answers several questions. While the boy’s outfit is
hard to discern, it makes complete sense given the time period. The field of
sand is no desert, it’s a playground. Those buildings in the background are
part of Manhattan. The availability of such a large space and the lack of
skyscrapers in Manhattan make sense again given the time period.
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