The neutral colors and implied texture
The neutral colors (white, gray, and black), in the photograph titled ‘Migration of drought refugees to California’ by Dorothea Lange taken in the year 1935 (https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/wcf/images/wcf089.jpg), functions perfectly within the work of art by not only telling us the level of technological advancement in photography as at the time the photograph was taken, but also the efforts made by California State Emergency Relief in a bid to aid the drought refugees. The implied texture of the photograph gives us a clear indication of the extremely dry and ragged condition owing to the drought that was being experienced at that time.
The representation of humanity and contemporary issues
The photograph represents the feeling of humanity (Marmot 547), where people come to aid those that have been affected by the drought. It also reflects on some of the issues faced in the contemporary society, for example, extreme weather conditions like the drought, as well as, social issues such as poverty, and acts of charity (Cappiello 49; Conley 64).
Social-political factors and the great depression
It is true to state that there were social-political factors that led to the creation of this photograph; however, the main factor is the great depression. In the mix of events that were taking place when this photograph was taken, there were a high number of displaced families especially those of Japanese migrant workers (Gordon 12), experiencing racial discrimination, as well as, civil rights violations. Dorothea’s photograph is evidence of the Japanese Internment and reflects upon other themes and events in history, such as the Civil Rights Movement.
The art of caption and the impact on society
Through the art of caption (Meadows 67), the photograph was created from a real-life scenario, thus portrays the conditions as they were being experienced and seen by Dorothea. It is true to state that this image did not influence much change in society until it got incorporated into the Whitney Museum in the year 1972, thus, begin to be seen as art that conveys the true feelings of the victims of the Japanese Internment.
Works Cited
Cappiello, Mary Ann. "Dorothea’s Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth." Language Arts 95.1 (2017): 49.
Conley, Tamara A. "Dorothea's Eyes: Dorothea Lange Photographs the Truth." The Catholic Library World 87.1 (2016): 64.
Gordon, Linda. "Dorothea Lange’s Censored Photographs of the Japanese American Internment." ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL-JAPAN FOCUS 15.3 (2017): 12
Marmot, Michael. "Dorothea Lange's lens on humanity." The Lancet 392.10147 (2018): 547-548.
Meadows, Rae. "dorothea lange and the art of the caption." Contexts 14.4 (2015): 66-69.
