A critical analysis of this untitled image by the photographer and artist, Pavel Titovich.
born 1983 in Belarus, USSR, now Belgorod, Russia.
Introduction
This image is a construct of the photographer’s imagination and therefore allows greater freedom to interpret the connotations present within the image, unlike one designed to actively suggest or guide the viewer to a specific conclusion (e.g. an advertisement).
Titovich’s work is well documented on social media and has been exhibited since 2010, accumulating many awards. However, there is little information about him (which led me to contact him with a series of questions). There is a distinct style to his work, often using the ‘wet plate’ techniques Ambrotype & Cyanotype.
With contemporary or stylised photography, it is often difficult to read an individual image, and so looking at other works by the same artist allows one to better understand the way in which the artist projects their ideas onto the canvas. Having analysed this image, I hope to be able to revisit all of the other images, better equipped to understand them.
Main part
This image is one of a series of twelve, entitled ‘Labyrinth’. It is a Black & White image, shot on film and manually developed, and denoted by three components. A naked man in the centre of the image carrying a length of rope over his shoulders/back and a dark background, with Da Vinci’s The Vitruvian Man on it. Using so few components, Titovich’s has created a very complex and multi-faceted image.
By using film (as opposed to his prefered Wet plate technique), he is able to produce a sharper image (detail) and a more controllable DoF. Although this decreases the overall patina, it increases the amount information that can be read.
These signifiers knit nicely together to give a ‘feeling’ (the signified) of Greek mythology, and specifically, the story of the Minotaur. This of course relies heavily on one’s own response to the intertextuality1 of the series title ‘Labyrinth’. It is the collective of the signifiers that drive the imaginative direction, as no single signifier is strong enough to do so. Another strong driver is what Barthes listed as the sixth form of connotation, syntax2 i.e. the other photographs in the series.
The primary connotation is the series title, ‘Labyrinth’, as the images are untitled. This single word guides us towards the Greek mythology from which it originates. The labyrinth contained King Minos of Crete’s bastard son, the Minotaur. Theseus, having slain the Minotaur was able to find his way out by following the string he had laid when entering.
The rope is a visual metaphor for our passage through life. Sometimes we fight against it, sometimes we are able to break free and sometimes it weighs heavy upon us, a burden we must carry. Man is having to make his own way in life, carrying his burdens (the rope), yet free to make his own decisions, as he is not following the rope, but carrying it. With decisions though, come consequences. The rope, his burden, is like an octopus, its tentacles trying to envelop and constrict, to obstruct, tempt and deviate him from his chosen path. Forcing him to question his every action. In turn, this questioning develops his strength of character, which he must rely on, and take strength from when right and learn from when wrong.
The weight of his burden is actually highlighted by the model walking on his toes. This accentuates the tendons and muscles, not only in his lower legs, but throughout his body, as it causes him to be off balance, and consequently involuntarily using many other body muscles to stabilise his position. The image of Vitruvian man, looking on in judgement is a point of punctum3. The whole image comes together to infer Greek mythology, yet Da Vinci’s work presides over all, in juxtaposition. Not only does it actually exist, it stands in opposition to myth, representing as it does, science, mathematics, art, nature and the development of man. Is Vitruvian Man standing over him in judgement or as a guardian angel? Arms outstretched like wings, or nailed to a cross like Jesus Christ. The link between the two is that our subject matter reminds us of Jesus Christ carrying the crucifix, and Vitruvian Man’s hair and face are reminiscent of the face of Jesus Christ, viewed from a Western European perspective.
His body is lit from the left, highlighting his back and casting his front into deep shadow. This obscures his face and proffers the question; Is this Theseus or the Minotaur. We also get the impression of the light being a physical assault upon him, beating him down, weighing heavy, him buckling under its weight.
The Minotaur through history has changed from something Centauresque i.e. body & (four) legs of a bull with torso and head of a man. The other image we see is of the head of a bull on the shoulders of a man, as illustrated in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology4.
The right side of the image is a lot darker. This represents his fears of the unknown, and the future he is heading into.
This all adds up to an overall effect that suggests toil and struggle through our lives, but that there is somebody either sitting in judgement over us, or looking out for us.
In summary; This image appears to be a simple construct of two elements and a background. However, it is an image that has many facets and requires knowledge of other subjects to extract a better understanding.
In retrospect, the series clearly shows that the labyrinth represents the passage of time, and each image, a time in life. The rope is a constant theme and represents man’s journey through life. Not only where we have come from or where we are going, but also the quality of where we are at, at any given time. Through the physicality of a single inanimate object, and an alluded to location, Titovich is able to convey mankind’s travails.
Strong critical analysis will always yield a greater understanding of even the most seemingly visually simplistic of images.
https://titovich.photographer.ru/labirint
https://www.instagram.com/paveltitovich/?hl=en
https://500px.com/p/p-titovich?view=photos
https://www.leonardodavinci.net/the-vitruvian-man.jsp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvius
https://leonardodavinci.stanford.edu/submissions/clabaugh/today/health.html
Reference
1. Barthes, R. (1977) Image Music Text. Page 160-161. London. Fontana Press, Harper Collins.
2. Barthes, R. (1977) Image Music Text. Page 24. London. Fontana Press, Harper Collins.
3. Barthes, R. (2000). Camera Lucida. Page 43. (R. Howard, Translator). London. Vintage Books.
4.Hamilton, E. (1969) Mythology. Page 153. Boston, Massachusetts. Little, Brown & Company.
I see! 