Edward Yom/Haunting or Haunted?/Tues 5~6

     Two monochromic pictures that portray a similar situation can be conceived very differently. The two pictures on page 152, "Village School" by Margaret Bourket-White and "Children's Puppet Theatre" by Alfred Eisenstadt are both pictures of children who are horrified but the two pictures approach the audience differently. "Village School" looks like a picture where the children haunt someone, and "Children's Puppet Theatre" looks like a picture where the children are haunted. The contrast mainly occurs due to the different facial expressions and lighting.  

 

     In the picture "Village School," everyone has a similar facial expression with a few exceptions. There are some children who have a frown on their face, and there are some kids like the child in the white looking somewhere else. However, the whole picture with the children's eyes open wide and their mouths shut sets a gloomy mood where it feels like the children will haunt someone. In contrast, the picture "Children's Puppet Theatre" has a variety of facial expressions with children looking at different places. There is one child who is pointing with his mouth wide open along with a few other children who have their mouths wide open. There are also children with their mouths closed, and some children with their mouths only half opened like the second child on the right. The children also seem to be looking in different directions. The varied gestures and facial expressions give an image that the children are being haunted.

 

     The lighting is also very different in both pictures. In the "Village School" the general picture is dark showing only the faces of the children with a little spec of light in the back of the bottom right corner. For the "Children's Puppet Theatre" the general lighting of the photo is much brighter. The type of clothes children are wearing can be see more clearly, and it gives an image that the children are more unified because it is more brighter.

 

     Although the lighting and the facial expression, are different, the two pictures portray fear. Both pictures give an image that they are being chased by someone, and they are in a confined room. However, the "Children's Puppet Theatre" is less scary because the children are compacted giving a sense of unity along with the brightness. In addition, the different clothes children are wearing, and different gestures like kids covering their face, covering their ears, and pointing give more of an image that the children are alive. In the "VIllage School" the children's same dull face with no hair and minimal difference in clothing along with the distant seatings give off a more gloomy image. 

  

     The two photos "Village School" and "Children's Puppet Theatre" are monochromic pictures that portray the same idea of children that are scared. Children are confined and looks scared in both pictures. However, depending on the lighting, facial expressions, gestures, and the location of the children, the two images give a different impression. "Village School" looks like the children will haunt someone, and "Children's Puppet Theatre" looks like the children will be haunted by something. There is depth and meaning hidden in pictures that people can not see the first time. To fully appreciate a picture, it is recommended to study the little details of the picture as well as taking a step back to look at the whole picture.