Michael Kenna
Manhattan Skyline, Study 1, New York City, USA, 2006
http://michaelkenna.net/gallery_images/a6ecec24.jpg
http://michaelkenna.net/gallery.php?id=14
This photograph gave me the sense of how small Manhattan kind of is because of how cluttered all these buildings are to one another. The darkness from the buildings makes it seem like they are interconnected and that the light was shining behind the city scape, as if the sun was setting. It feels as though there isn’t much going on in the city as it isn’t shining brightly as Manhattan is typically depicted when it’s dark; although, the little specks of going through does show that this city isn’t a lifeless as I thought from a first glance.
This photo is heavily reliant on the contrast of light and dark. The photographer seemed like wanted to make it look like a painting or a cardboard cutout place onto an image of a river. It does make it seem as if the skyline is flat compared to the river foreground. The fascinating part of this photo is the little bump at the far right of the composition. This part is different because this bump doesn’t match the rest of the skyline’s straight edges and that it is much lighter compared to the rest, thus making it seem like there is something that the skyline is hiding. The flat skyline is balance out by the ocean in the foreground by having a more rich and dynamic look. This contrast helps create the feeling of emptiness, as it makes it look like a deserted city without any real light shining through. It can also be a sense of mystery, where people would question whether this is an elaborate cutout or not. I could hardly tell at first glance.
You correctly identify the strongest formal feature of this photo as the contrast of light and dark. As you say the skyline looks flat. it is perfectly silhouetted against the sky. I am amazed when I look at this image that the buildings are so perfectly dark. The skyline is usually ablaze with lights. My guess is that Kenna took this early in the morning once the lights in and on the buildings were out but before the sun was fully up.