"Gesture, or a visual communication using physical material, can be an autonomous language,a supplement to various other languages, or a medium"
-Lia Markey
The University of Chicago
Dykstra, J. (2006) "Eyes Wide Open".
Angela Strassheim Left Behind, 1-2.
Critic Jean Dykstra's essay looks at the intricate gestures and glances that Angela Strassheim's photography depends on. The author selects a sample of the artist's work from her series "Left Behind", and analyzes it with particular attention to posture and the photographer's youth. One striking example of effective body language is in the image Untitled (McDonald's). In the picture, a young family is seated at the fast-food restaurant, with their hands linked in prayer. The image is interrupted by one of the girls in the family; her's is the only head unbowed. By raising her head and looking in the opposite direction, the teenage girl's gesture suggests dissension and becomes the focus of the photo. A simple adjustment of posture in an image, such as in this tableau, can lead the viewer in numerous directions. Dykstra cites another instance of the importance of gesture in a photograph of a father and son before a bathroom mirror. The father combs the young boy's hair and links eyes with him through the mirror. A great deal of significance is placed upon the gesture of the father's free hand. Placed upon the boy's shoulder, it is both firm and gentle; it shows authority and love at the same time. Their relationship could be inferred by the simple placement of the father's hand.
My current series of photos also depends on gesture. In these tableaux, an event has just occurred and people gather around as witnesses. Their gestures are crucial because they should look spontaneous and unresolved. The body language should mirror the spectators' lack of information and their curiosity.
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