Author: Chris Jean-Baptiste

The image that I was assigned to study for homework is titled “Emerging Man”, an photograph taken by Gordon Parks in 1952. The photograph features a close-up photo of an African-American male hiding inside of what appears to be a hole in the middle of an area. Since the area in question takes place in Harlem as stated in Gordon Parks’ caption, one can assume that he is surrounded by pavement of some sort, showcasing the streets of the neighborhood. In terms of photography, Parks has displayed some intriguing composition using contrast of light and dark colors to showcase a gritty, “poor” tone to capture Harlem’s lifestyle, as well as using rule of thirds by placing the subject in the upper areas of the image, leaving the bottom half of the image as dark as the hole the subject is inside of.

Gordon Parks uses contrast as well as the Rule of Thirds strategy as a way to pay homage to Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man. In the novel, Ellison paints a picture of what living conditions were like during the mid-twentieth century. Parks took that idea and made a symbolic approach to it, as he uses the hole as a metaphor for how rough “underground” living was like during Ellison’s time. The colorless background as it becomes more and more grainy as you reach the edges of the photos give off a tone of gloominess as the man looks away from the camera, as if his own focus was more towards something else, which could portray either a sense of hope or more hardship; whichever the case may be, it is certain that his current condition can definitely be considered unfavorable–both for our subject and for us, the readers.