Blog #2

Academic Analysis

 This picture shows the fathers boat heading to the new home he seeks to find for him and his family. Darkness in the photo on the left hand side adds for a more serious vibe when looking at the photo. When I looked at it I see sadness but yet it’s still kind of serious. Using the Molly Bang’s “How Pictures Work” the vertical lines used in the clouds of the boat show that the boat is in movement and that it actually is moving towards the other side of the page. As Molly Bang says the middle of the page usually is the center of attention and in this picture the second you turn to it your eyes as the reader go right to the oversized cloud in the top of the page. This picture seems to be the complete opposite of what Molly Bang says in “How Pictures Work”. There are a few things that go with what she says though. For instance the big cloud, being the biggest object on the page and taking up close to 60 percent of the page makes it feel extremely strong and something you don’t want to mess with if you saw it in real life. Not because of the size but as you go left on the page past the cloud it goes from a rather subtle cloud to a very dark cloud that makes you not want to enter it.  But back to this picture having opposites she says rounded shapes and curves make you feel more secure and comforted yet when I look at that cloud (which is rounded) I see darkness and intimidation. That may also just be due to the size and color change. This image though gives off a lot of visual meaning. It has no words and even without words you’re able to comprehend what’s going on in the image. The image also gives spatial meaning with the placement of the boat it gives the reader the idea that boat has begun its long journey.

In this photo the father reaches the check-up station. Where doctors check immigrants health before they are allowed to reach their final destination. In this photo the reader can see all the immigrants in line for their examinations. While in line though if they look up they can see what their future holds. In the photo it shows a large picture located at the top of the page, which according to Molly Bang gives a sense of freedom and happiness to the viewer. The bottom half of the image, which shows all the immigrants in line unaware of what is to come, makes the image heavier and deep. It gives off a sense of seriousness and straight business. Back to the top of the image, the rounded frame around the main picture invites the viewer (the immigrants) in a secure way that allows them to feel relaxed and not as hesitant/scared. The rounded tops of the structures and the rounded clouds and what look like bubbles in the image at the top half of the image allow for the same response. If the picture was a little bit more clear it would give the reader the opportunity to see the body language of the immigrants give the image gestural meaning. But the image does give Visual meaning as well as spatial meaning. An example of Spatial Meaning would be how all of the immigrants are crammed together in line next to each other as they wait to be examined.

In this image the father is travelling to try and find work so that he can send his wife and daughter money so that they can soon join him in this new place.  The father standing at the top of a staircase looking over what seems to be some kind of small city. This image is rather busy but the illustrator makes it a point to put the father smack in the middle of the page giving us, the reader, a similar view over the city as him. His placement though which is in the center of the bottom half of the image, which deliver the message that his view is the main purpose of the image. The structure of this town is rounded and has smooth edges, which according to Molly Bang gives us a sense of stability and comforts us as the viewer making the town feel more welcoming. The vertical lines on top of the ships and coming out of the building show shows us the reader, movement. The large animal structure in the far distance holding what looks to be food shows just how strong and meaning that animal is. I feel like that may be the animal that they worship or praise.  The top half of the picture shows us that he’s finally reached his final destination, which is a place of freedom and happiness. This image also shows Visual meaning as well as Spatial meaning. But most importantly with how his body looks he seems to be in awe. This is an example of Gestural Meaning .