Figure/Ground

"The form of an object is not more important than the form of the space surrounding it." ~ Malcolm Grear

Brandon's Guitar

"Figure/ground relationships shape visual perception."(Lupton) I chose to photograph my guitar for this assignment. I was able to focus the camera on the background that the guitar is placed on. By doing so we see the contrast that happens between the guitar and the surrounding world behind it. In my photo, we see an emphasis on the fall trees and their vibrant colors. The guitar is illuminated in darkness and has a very strong contrast to the outside world. We can see the shape of the guitar and very subtle dark tones of brown black and white. We see the use of positive and negative space between the outline of the guitar and the background of the real world. We see the manipulation of perceptions such as patterns within the center of the guitar. The dark strings display a consistent pattern against an even darker center. As Gestalt states, "that elements are always perceived in the easiest way possible. Further, simplicity of the whole emphasizes the importance of striking features."(Gestalt) The photo truly emphasizes simplicity in the fact that it is a photograph of my guitar against a vibrant background. Diving into a deeper meaning, I would say that this picture is almost telling a story of a musician alone and afraid to put his own work out into the vibrant and illustrious real world for fear of judgment. 

 

Comments

  1. yazminOctober 16, 2020 at 6:50 PM

    The way your image was taken also emphasizes the shape of the guitar and maybe we don't take enough time to appreciate the beauty in figures like that!

    ReplyDelete

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