Interest: a prevalent theme in this assignment and experience. As I walked through Marcel Sternberger’s exhibit in the Mishkin Gallery I found myself drawn to several photos. Was it my initial reaction to their facial expressions or merely the aesthetic of the black and white concept shown in all his photos? As I looked through each photograph, I started to understand Barthes’ concepts of studium and punctum in his work Camera Lucida. What is studium and punctum? Studium is the element in a piece of art, in this case photography, that initially grabs your attention. In the words of Barthes, it is “…the element which rises from the scene…,” (Barthes 26). Punctum is the specific detail that allows the viewer to feel something deeper and makes the viewer think and question the piece even further. Barthes refers this as a “sting” and an “accident which pricks me…,” (Barthes 27). Walking around the exhibit, this particular photo captured of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera initiated my understanding of Barthes’ concepts.
Initially I was drawn in by the facial expressions that Frida Kahlo held. I loved how she looked up at Diego Rivera so lovingly and in absolute adornment. In my case, this was the studium. I was initially drawn in by her loving facial expression. As I looked closer, I examined Diego Rivera’s face. Unlike Frida Kahlo’s, his face was blatantly stern. His mouth was straight, and his eyes were sullen. He wasn’t looking at Frida Kahlo, nor did he seem to be reacting to her touch and her expression of love. This was the punctum. His face made me question the photo further. I wondered Why isn’t he looking back at his lover with the same amount of intimacy and longing like Kahlo? His eyes are almost avoiding hers and trying to focus on the camera. His eyes hold only the emotion of sternness and concentration without any sense of love or other feelings of connection to Kahlo. Their dog, Mr. Xolotl, was also so awkwardly placed. This could be the second punctum of this piece. Overall, I sensed a disconnect between each of the subjects in the photograph. While Kahlo was expressing much love and sense of intimacy, the dog and Rivera gave off a more distant and standoffish presence. While the rest of the collection did further my understanding of Barthes’ concepts of studium and punctum, this particular piece was the clearest of them all to me. This photograph now makes me question the true relationship between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
Now, this photo may just seem like another food picture taken by a teen attempting to make their Instagram or snapchat story more aesthetically pleasing. Well, you’re right, but this photo also reminds me of studium and punctum.
Claire Ng
I see why you would choose this picture for your instagram. The contrasting colors of the drinks against the pink background gives a perfect combination of color. In addition the little animal on the cup would attract a lot of people to your post because its cute and unique. The drinks look delicious some I’m sure people would be drawn to photo, to find out where they can get this. Coolest part is that they can go to the same shop order the same drinks, and they’ll still never get the exact same moment that you captured.