Jeff wall focuses on cinematic photography and constructs his images in an elaborate fashion using art, sculpture and literature in combined art forms to make a photograph which represents contemporary art in a conceptual format. He used a Nikon F camera “point and shoot” to create his work and although this photograph was shot in the 1990’s it appears to come from another era, perhaps the 1970’s.

After researching about how to read a photograph, when describing an image there are formal elements within the image that need to be described, and then what is outside the image like information about the photographer, how this image was taken, what other photographers do similar work?, the thoughts and feelings of the viewer, personal connotations to describe, what perhaps has not been included in the composition (the context). This is what I have attempted to do below when reading the above image:

After researching semiotics the Insomnia image by Jeff Wall can be commented on by denotation which describes the literal meaning of what is in the image and in this instance it is a kitchen because it contains a cooker, refrigerator and cupboards that are familiar with a kitchen space. The kitchen table and chairs are arranged in a haphazard way, one chair is not facing the table no pictures on the wall and the colours of the cupboards and walls are cold, which is compounded by a cold fluorescent light. The window implies it is night time by the black colour and the cupboard doors slightly open. There is a cooking pan left on the stove, salt on the table and a cloth on the kitchen chair which leads the viewer to assume this man may have cooked and eaten something. There is a dark circular mark above the cooker which looks like a clock used to hang there and has been taken down. This leads me to think that this may have been removed in a way to cope with the insomnia.The general state of the room is it’s in need of a little “Tender Loving Care”, this to me could also be a reflection of the subject’s state of mind and wellbeing, neglect springs to mind. The main subject of the image is a man lying in an unexpected place and the anchor word in the caption “Insomnia” answers some of the questions that start to form in the viewer’s mind. This caption is also a relay message since it communicates meaning around the image. The wide angle used to take the shot shows clearly that it is a small room, the depth of field used allows the viewer to explore the room and the eye is led from the open cupboards in the top third to the table and then to the main subject in the bottom third right hand part of the image. The open brown paper bag on top of the fridge in the top right hand part of the image balances the visual elements within the image.

Singular Images: Essays on Remarkable Photography : Diane Arbus

Reflection on the essay:

This essay and others in the book have taught me what needs to be included in an essay about reading a photograph, there is so much more to consider both within the image and beyond its borders. The viewer can interpret what is within the frame in several different ways depending on experience, knowledge, attitude, each person will take something different from a photograph and will ask different questions about what they see.

The essay begins with emotional judgement relationships and feelings of the subjects within the frame before continuing to talk about the factual circumstances that came about to produce this image. The essay then describes the photographer.

One of the most poignant thoughts of the essay was the quote ” the aim is not to reform life, but to know it. Another quote from Diane Arbus herself that I particularly enjoyed was that the subjects in the photo were described as “undeniably close in a painful sort of way” by Arbus – she didn’t know this but made an assumption which the author thought was quite patronising to which I agree. Their body language certainly appears to suggest they are close.

I like how the author describes Arbus as having sympathy for the frailty and imperfections of society, even the ordinary are remarkable and worth looking at.

The author describes how others describe Diane Arbus and what they write about her. There were other photos taken on the same day that this particular image was taken and this is talked about in the essay to add more context – outside of the frame.

What similar artists have been inspired by Diane Arbus?

The essay also talks about where this image was displayed, when and what the circumstances were around this – there is an interesting description around the dialogue between the curator of the Museum of Modern Art and the photograher.

When I was initially asked to write an essay about a photograph I was struggling to understand how I could possibly write a thousand words and now reading this essay I understand there is so much to consider inside (denotation) and outside ( connotation) context, outside the frame.

Bibliography :

We are OCA website blog:

Signs and Signifiers