“Ode” to… Tortoise?

The photo that truly captivated me was the photo of a tortoise. As I looked at the tortoise in the museum, I wrote down what I thought at that time, so it seems fair to just put my response below:

The tortoise looks so wise, strong and unyielding. The fact that only one eye is facing the viewer makes it look as though it he so much experience. He looks very mature and knowledgeable. The wrinkles around the neck make it look old, but its exterior is so rough. The legs look like stone, almost as if he were an ornament. He looks grumpy almost angry at getting his picture taken.

The blurred background really allows us to focus on the tortoise. When I stare at it longer it begins to look like an eagle emerging from a shell. The lines on it’s body look so deep, yet soft. I want to know where it’s headed to, and where it’s going. The scales on it’s leg are all different and unique, like snowflakes. They are all cut differently in varying shapes.

That eye. Where is that eye looking? Why is its mouth set in such a hard line? It looks as though he’s holding a grudge. Is it a male or female? Why does it look like a male tortoise to me? Why does it look angry? why did it stay and allow Salgado to capture its picture, if he could disappear in his shell at any moment? What happened after the picture was snapped? Is this tortoise still alive? How old is it in this picture?

Upon further inspection, I noticed that the tortoise looks like it is moving, trying to walk away. The way its left leg is contradicts with the angle of its right leg. The right leg is curved outward while the left leg is curved inward, and it almost looks straight. The position it is in looks very uncomfortable.

The lines underneath its shell almost look like a tree’s branches. From the neck up, the lines diverge in all different directions. Some of the wrinkles on his body are white, probably because of the sand. Why does he look unhappy? His neck looks like a tree rooted at the base of its head. The tortoise is the figure, everything else is the background. He is not facing straight at the audience, instead he is turned to the side.

When I walk to the left and right side of the photo the shell looks bigger than the tortoise. Perhaps he’s wearing a frown because his shell is too heavy (haha). The black and white picture really brings out the texture, allowing me to really focus on the picture.

I spent almost my entire time captivated by a tortoise. So I didn’t get much time downstairs, when I did go however the photographs were absolutely breath taking. I went downstairs and was truly captivated. I wanted to stay just a little while longer, but on the upside I got to see more of Salgado’s beautiful works of art. And… I can always go back!