entry # 1.

entry # 1.
David Levinthal, Barbie Millicent Roberts, 1998-99.
http://www.davidlevinthal.com/works.html




a.) The primary subject matter in this photograph is the Barbie doll.
b.) Most relevant Form in regard to the interpretation of this piece would be: point of view, distance of camera to subject matter, scale, negative space and motion.
c.) Interpretation: I think this piece is a play on the Barbie doll in the social aspects of girls in society. I think the way David Levinthal captured the Barbie doll in a portrait type of setting is quiet intriguing. I think there is a lot of meaning behind the composition of the Barbie and how he portrayed the doll as real. In society so many little girls play with dolls such as this one and have the idea that this is the "ideal". One day too they wish their portrait would look like this. It is a very thought provoking picture.
d. Form: This piece has a very limited color pallet. There is a lot of negative space because of where the subject is composed in the frame. There is a slight shadow on the subject. The black dress provides contrast for the black background. This is down at the level of the doll and taken close up to the doll. The picture is flat. The subject displays no motion. Part of the head and bottom half the body has been cropped from the edge of the frame. The figure is the emphasis.
Subject: The subject in this piece is the Barbie doll, in a studio setting.
Interpret: Because of the way the artist captures this doll in a realistic portrait type of frame, I think this is a comment on the way the dolls play a role in children’s perception of the human body “ideal”.
Redefine: The elements in this piece help show the importance of the figure in society. The doll is the focal point. The whole piece is talking about the doll and its story. I feel that the story with this piece goes along with the idea of the “ideal portrait of a person” and how so many pictures nowadays are of models trying to look a certain way, dress a certain way, act a certain way. They almost look like a statue or perhaps a doll. This I believe is what this picture is all about.