On November 5th, 2006, Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death after being proven guilty of many crimes against humanity. One photograph captures the moment when Hussein was given the verdict.
The content of this photograph is simply a close up of Hussein and a mystery arm holding him back. This picture captures his expression as the center of the photograph. The theme of this photograph is a struggle for power between Hussein and the people he murdered and the judge and Hussein. The angle that the photographer took when capturing this photo was straight on. This is interesting because the verdict was also straight on: death. His face is unavoidable and so is his sentence. The background is a typical courtroom, symmetrical and very geometric. This contrasts with the foreground which is organic and rather chaotic. Also, the photograph is shallow because the lens seems to be close to Hussein- even the background isn't far away. This closeness to Hussein relates to his closeness to death. Framing in this photo is key; it focuses on Hussein and not on the person who is holding him back.
The major source of power in this photograph is the subject. The expression that the subject conveys shows a struggle of power between Hussein and the rest of the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment