My tutor recommended I research the image called “Walk to Paradise Garden” by Eugene Smith because it is a similar approach to my second assignment called “Photographing the Unseen”.

This famous image was selected by Edward Steichen as the final image in his exhibition The Family of Man at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1955. The aim of the exhibition was to present the universal experiences of human existence and the essential goodness of the human experience. Steichen relied heavily on the photograph’s symbolism of hope and innocence to convey the humanist message of the exhibition.

Smith created this image after recovering from a war injury and it’s mystical feel is different to other images he has taken, documenting war and humanitarian situations. Although different in style to most of his work, this became the most famous image.

There is hidden meaning in this photograph, the “unseen” content of the image that can be interpreted by different people in different ways. The meanings relate to human emotion and the psychological state of the viewer of the photograph as to what meaning is derived.

Light out of darkness is often seen as a symbol of hope or new beginnings, light is often interpreted as a positive and invokes optimism in those who view it. The use of light in this image appears to be shining from above the two children and ahead of them, it gives the impression they are walking into the light.

The boy seems to be leading the girl which shows the human side and the possible relationship between the two, the boy is a leader and protector of his sister. The human side is obvious in the subjects within the frame and the “unseen” meaning is also evident, given the context of the photographers 2 year recovery from an injury which must have been a difficult time.

I am inspired by this image because I enjoy nature and walk through many similar natural landscapes seen in this image. The black and white was what was used at the time and it was only in the 1970s that colour images started being produced. The black and white makes this image all the more serious. The colour would potentially detract from the two children and the light, the dark frame of leaves supports the main subject rather than competes with it which would be the case in colour. The leaves show no detail, only the outline of the leaves at the fringes, this also accentuates the detail of the children rather than competing and therefore losing focus of the main subject.

Bibliography

Huxley-Parlour Gallery. 2020. W. Eugene Smith: ‘Walk To Paradise Garden’ | Huxley-Parlour Gallery. [online] Available at: <https://huxleyparlour.com/w-eugene-smith-hope-and-innocence-2/&gt; [Accessed 14 September 2020].