Mascaro+J+IRA

2/29/12 The primary audience of Jan Saudek’s photographs was during the 20th Century and it is simple to draw connections between important issues that occurred then, and the messages in each of my selected three Saudek photographs. I chose “Untitled,” “La Nuit,” and “The Bond of Love,” because of the boldness each contains, and how beautifully they work together to create a message of wanting a better life, and determination to achieve it.

2/13/12 Photograph #1, Untitled. Rhetor: Jan Saudek's works are most notorious for their symbolism for "coming of age", and also "erotic freedom". His works are very sexual and honest. Most of them include dark backgrounds or grungy living conditions. I think he is conveying that this man is an immigrant, and possibly the appreciation he has of his new opportunities in America. Taking into consideration that Saudek's father was Jewish, and their family was tortured by the Germans during World War II, I believe he is addressing an audience who can relate to the yearning of freedom from pain, and a new life apart from Europe. Text: The wood plank floor, the empty room (lack of furniture) the chipping paint on the walls, concrete empty walls: These different factors all portray a very poor and environment. Everything about the room this man is in, is dark, lonely and poverty stricken. The open window on the other hand portrays to me the hope for a better future. The fact that this window overlooks a view of the Statue of Liberty proves to me that the window being open to this object is a reflection of the freedom that America represents and the promise for a better and more secure future. (The idea of immigration). To me, the fact that he is on his knees is representing how grateful he is for this opportunity of a new life in America. The living conditions and his lack of clothing portrays how poor he is, and how he is starting literally all over again with his life, from what appears to be "rock-bottom." Audience- The audience I believe Saudek to be addressing is those of World War II. I believe he is trying to paint a picture, literally and figuratively of what people involved in this war were feeling like. It shows the pain and thankfulness of a new life, and also the utter yearning one had for a new life at that point in history.

2/7/12 1. //Untitled//- This is a photograph of a man in what seems to be a very grungy, cheap, and almost demolished room or apartment. He has the view of the Statue of Liberty in sight. I believe that although this man has nothing, i.e. clothing, nice living conditions. He is eternally grateful for the chance of a new life and new beginning. I believe that The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island represent this, and that this man is an immigrant. 2. //La Nuit//- I have not yet fully decided on what it is representing but so far I have come up with negative surrounding a positive. I cannot yet tell if she is a little girl or a woman but I believe the dark background represents her pain and her hat represents maybe coming of age. The fact that she is looking at the stars maybe shows that she is hoping for a bright future. 3. //The Bond of Love-// At first when I looked at this photograph, I saw two men. I felt these men were bonded together and their clothing and being placed on the ground with no surroundings portrayed the vulnerability they felt because they were homosexual. Now, I think the person on the left could be a woman. I will have to keep analyzing this photograph as well.