Exploring the Human Body through Art (Essay Sample)

Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Art and the Human Body
Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother, 1936
The image is Dorothea Lange’s work, taken in 1936 in Nipomo, California. Dorothea Lange, who was photographer, got employed by the U.S. government’s Farm Security Administration (FSA) program, which was formed to enable provide help to the poor farmers (MoMA learning). Lange found Florence Owens Thompson, the “Migrant Mother,” who allowed her to take a photograph of her and her children. In the photograph, the mother, Thompson, is seen to be in deep thoughts and depressive, with the children hiding their faces and seeking protection behind her back. Thompson was not prepared for the photograph of her family and its use in projecting poverty and the plight of the poor, hardworking people in the camp, who were really suffering (Phelan). However, she hoped that the photograph would enable portray the poor people’s cry and enable them get help.
Gender/ Race Analysis
The Migrant Mother portrays the difficulties that single mothers face in the society. They act as father figures, protectors, providers, and family pillars. The mother is all alone with no husband by her side. In the picture, the children are seen to cover themselves and seek protection behind their mother’s back. The bodies in the image are depicted in black and white, with fine texture. The dull color of the photograph depicts sadness. The Migrant Woman is seen to be supporting her hand on the cheek, which shows unhappiness, as she stares worriedly into the distance. (Phelan). The pose of the bodies portray females as strong and enduring beings. The mother gazes emptily in a distance, but she seems to be figuring out something and hopeful, with her children solely depending on her for everything. Dorothea Lange, who is a female, takes the picture of a mother and her children, without their father. This can be interpreted as being disrespectful of the opposite gender by portraying women as the only caregivers in a family. Lange took the picture during the Great Depression