Flatiron Building, Study 1, New York City, USA, 1976 by Michael Kenna (photograph 21)
Michael Kenna has this way of capturing New York City not as a bustling, upbeat city but as a very calm and composed kind of city. Staring at the photograph of the Flatiron Building made me feel like I was standing in the middle of 5th Ave staring up at this beautiful skyscraper, hearing the cars and people slowly growing silent. It seems to me as though the whole city slowed down for Kenna to capture this photograph, as if we are able hear, not only see what he is trying to convey with this simplistic yet extraordinary picture. What I find to also be very fascinating is that I’m not able to distinguish what decade it was taken in, not looking at the caption. Yet this place is every but familiar to me. New York City through Michael Kenna’s lens made me recognize the city I live in, but see it in a whole other view.
The Flatiron Building photograph (study 12) by Michael Kenna consists of many basic visual categories that makes this photograph as strong as it is. For instance, the use of line work is very marvelous, the way the silhouette of the streetlight creates a unique shape with the building gives this picture a stronger impact. My eyes were instantaneously drawn to that intricate design and changed my perspective of the city, which made me feel at peace. The black in this photo really pops out against the lighter background, almost blending into the white background of Kenna’s website, making the contrast that much bolder. There isn’t even a visible source of light in this photograph yet it doesn’t come across as dark and gloomy but extremely beautiful due to all the factors Kenna was able to use.
This photo has a very strong but very simple composition. The Flatiron building become the fulcrum on which the seesaw of the traffic light is balancing. This is the diffused light of a cloudy day and the elements are backlit or as you say silhouetted against the sky.