André Kertész’s The White Horse drew my attention with its apparent contrast emanating from the white horse. The white color of the horse contrasts with the rest of the surroundings, so it inevitably catches the viewer’s attention. The horse is also set apart by the diagonal, gray-topped wall. Kertész put diagonals to good use by raising awareness of other elements of the photograph through them. Just as I was captivated by the striking whiteness of the horse, also the imaginary diagonal line extending from the white horse on the bottom left drifted my attention to the top middle of the photograph. That section brought into view a dog being walked by a woman. The shadows of these two are cast diagonally, almost parallel to the wall running diagonally from the top left to the bottom right of the photo. The diagonal shadows also enlarge the profiles of the woman and the dog, providing a clearer image of the two figures in a quick glance. Kertész emphasizes diagonals yet again with the sidewalk that runs diagonally from the left to the right of the photo; this particular direction of the diagonal displays to the viewer the direction that the woman and dog appear to be walking towards. Hence, a dynamic component is incorporated to the composition of the photo, which also manifests itself in the mobile stance that the white horse is pictured in. Furthermore, the dark bushes and the tree contribute to the effect of contrast to the photo. Kertész utilized their dark color strategically by aligning them parallel to the diagonals associated with the white horse and the woman walking the dog. Such an alignment creates a more effective contrast. The rule of thirds is loosely used here with the white horse occupying a little less than the first third of the picture. The dog is placed in the last third of the picture while the woman is roughly in the center of the photograph.
I will definitely attempt to incorporate the particular elements that André Kertész so successfully employed for an effective display of the photo’s subjects. It seems that Kertész was able to capture the slightly illuminating effect of the street lamps to convey profiles of the woman and dog walking on the sidewalk. I may be able to capture the effects of street lamps at night. Also, I might be able to create the diagonals effect with the apartment buildings and the sidewalk near my neighborhood. The theme of contrast in Kertész’s photo demonstrated the profound effect of the element in black and white pictures. So, I might try to see if the subjects are more dramatically highlighted in a black and white photo. Contrary to Kertész’s loosely using the third’s rule, I might try to use it more accurately to emphasize the different ends of the photo. Kertész’s captivating photo will highly influence the composition of my photo.
-Faryal