What time period, decade or year do you think this photograph was created in? What visual cues support your choice?
Judging by the colourised photo, it wouldn’t be anything pre-1975 as that is when the first digital camera was made. The resolution of the image also suggests it was done digitally. I would guess this was taken in the 2000’s- potentially around 2010. However, the actual image lacks any major giveaways of the time period as the subjects don’t really wear fashionable “in date” clothing, and there are no logos or surrounding atmosphere for me to make a more accurate guess. The clothing does have modern day printing on it, but the symbolism [which I will move onto later] is supposed to echo that of the era of Jesus’ rein and crucifixion- judging by the photo.
Where in the world was this photograph taken? Again, please detail your reasons for asserting your choice.
It appears to be a less economically developed country, judging by the subjects race and the surrounding building I would guess somewhere like the slums of Brazil or somewhere in Africa. There is no pavement or modern brick walls, instead- it appears to be dried mud of sorts and hand smoothed walls that typically point towards hotter countries that aren’t as modern as somewhere such as New York or London. It definitely doesn’t appear to be in a city that has a lot of wealth. Also, only one of the subject’s wear shoes and even they are worn out flip flops that look inexpensive. Another giveaway it is in a hot country is the type of clothing that the subjects are wearing. The girls wear thin dresses or skirts with their hair tied up from their face, whilst the male subjects either wear shorts, no top or in the “Jesus” figures case- a modesty cloth.
In a short paragraph, how would you describe the key visual elements of the photograph? What is contained within the frame?
There are five subjects, one adult and four children. All of them are looking at the camera directly against a plain background which could potentially be a building as there is a window with a cage around it. This seems to be a symbolic image of Jesus and what he represents. The oldest male wears a thorn crown [as Jesus did], has nail marks on his hands where Jesus would’ve been hung up on- and in general [besides his skin colour] is the “ideal” of what Jesus was wildly believed have looked like, if he existed. The four children in front of him seem to be almost protected by him. The Jesus figure also holds up his bleeding hand, and to me that feels like symbolism for peace. I believe this because his expression is almost calm despite the obvious pain he should be in, However, the children have a neutral expression which is quite eerie. It feels quite disconnected from the ordinary. It also appears that the image’s only source is the sun and isn’t professionally lit. I can tell this because of the types of shadows casted around them [which there is very little] and the fact their eyes have no direct light in them which makes them appear almost soulless.
How is/are the human subject(s) of the photograph engaging with the camera/photographer?
All of subjects are staring at the camera and acknowledging it. The positions are very uniform in a sense of, it doesn’t appear they just happened to be stood in that way and someone came and took the picture by chance. They all seem to be looking at the same point too. The subjects barely react with each other either.
What, if any directions do you think the photographer may have given to the subject(s) of the photograph?
This is definitely a staged photograph. The photographer probably had a big say in what the subjects looked like. From the costumes to the poses there is nothing natural about the image. The photographer probably told them how to stand, where to stand, what order to stand and how to stand. The photographer probably had a strong idea of what he wanted the image to look like, he/she would have also had control over who he was photographing, and the subjects were selected carefully- especially the man portraying Jesus.
What do you believe the photographer wants, you, the viewer to take from the image?
I believe the photographer wanted to provoke thought about religion and race, however I don’t have a solid theory on their exact motive. Personally, I take this image as a father protecting his children with the belief of Christianity- and as long as they have their faith they don’t need anything else. I feel like there is a deeper background to the children but as I do not know the piece I cannot speculate without potentially thinking way too deep into the image.
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