jacob riis: "street arabs in the area of mulberry street"

Imitationalism:
This amazing piece of art is from Jacob Riis: "Street Arabs In The Area Of Mulberry Street." Jacob Riis made it clear that this picture was soppose to be realistic although due to the colours he used (Black and White)it makes it somewhat unrealistic. This photograph does in someway imitates real life. If you look at the background you can see that the bricks are very realistic and all the rest of the background is too.


Emotionalism:

Jacob Riis proberly wanted people to feel very emotional about this photograph. The children are bunched together as if they are cold and homeless. The feeling im getting from this is that they are very somber and very morose. They also make me feel pessimistic, it's as if im afraid a of whats going to happen next. The mood is gloomy and depressing. It communicates a strong message yet still very enduring. When looking at this picture all i could think about was emotion it was hard to gear away from that (in my opinion.)


Formalism:

When looking at the design qualities in this photograph i think that the organization and line arrangement comes to mind. If you look closely you can see that the children are placed in a position so that the variety and balance evens it out. This picture is a very intense photograph and thats what makes it communicate with the audience that observes it. I think that the space was used carefully and deliberately so it creates the illusion of unity balance and emphasis.