http://triptych.brynmawr.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/japanese&CISOPTR=65&REC=9
Street scene from Kyoto, showing the store fronts along the alleyway. I found this picture to be trying to capture the essence of daily street life. Looking at the signs along the way, you can definitely tell this is from Japan and the old style clothing is dating the picture. Expressing community and typical life, to a westerner this is a typical representation of storefronts while everyone is walking along in traditional attire.
http://triptych.brynmawr.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/japanese&CISOPTR=12&REC=20
This is pretty much 懐かしい for me, since Matsushima was one of the first places I visited in Japan. The picture is captured in a perfect time, as you see the man in the hole of the rock and the others along the other side. The reflection in the water is a little creepy because you can see the reflection of the rocks and not the people...
http://triptych.brynmawr.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/japanese&CISOPTR=117&REC=4
This is just too cute! I love the innocence of this picture and two kids look like they're having fun playing with the flowers and sitting together. The scene looks a little set up with all the flowers around them and the girl is almost holding up the flowers as if being told to.
http://triptych.brynmawr.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/japanese&CISOPTR=102&REC=9
I love this picture. LOVE it. The brightness of the color red in comparision to the other faded colors brings my eye to those parts of the picture first. There are many pictures like this that are represting a lone girl in kimono surrounded by the beauty of nature. However, this picture struck me as different because of the bright red contrast. The girl is also looking away, so you can't see her expression on her face, so it could be a calm picture or she could be sad, the way to protray what the girls expression is could change how the image is protrayed to others. I find it interesting that this picture is portraying one lone girl when society is focused on community.
Again, 懐かしいな。。。
Still trying to figure out how to do this... The reflection from the lake pretty much splits the picture in half. As important as the castle is, it does not stand out immediately in this picture, probably due to the faded colors surrounding it. One lone fishing boat glides along the water, seems to be a common theme of one in many of these pictures.
This is a great album, albeit a bit predictable. I'm sorry, that's nothing against you. It's just that I've seen several of these pictures repeatedly in several other albums. Oh well, it's still a good album.
ReplyDeleteI just have one thing to point out. You say that the first picture represents an old Japan because of the dated clothing. I think this picture is much younger than you think. Case in point, may I direct you to zoom in on the sign at the upper left hand corner of the picture.
-Nate Hood
A lovely album. You have some good descriptions too.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed is that your slides are all very vivid in color and tone. Maybe you could analyze that more. Was it because of the vividness of color that these first caught your eye or just the red autumnal one? Color photos were hoped to compete with nishiki-e, so maybe you could think about where the photographers placed the color and why they might have.
I do share the point of view of Nate, I confess I chose the same picture because of this detail as well. I really love the era of time when so many changes were going on in Japan even if we can't see them at first sight. This picture might have been kind of timeless without this little presence of the modernity.
ReplyDeleteChoosing the children was great too. Even if their are supposed to be posing, I guess that the photographer had the same though as you " they are so cute" and just took the photograph. It seems quite different from some slides where people are posing.
I love the reflection on the water, this visual effect has never changed until now .