Museum Writing - Matt Stevens

Museum Writing – Matthew Stevens

            The piece I am choosing to analyze from the museum trip is called Three Rivers, by Lewis Hine. This photograph was taken in 1930 and shows construction workers working on the empire state building. I am interested in this piece because it shows an interesting perspective. The picture draws the viewers eye in with a sort of black border outlined by steel beams and then focuses your attention on a single worker who is dangling hundreds of feet above the ground. I like the lines that are created with the steel beams and how they are turned into silhouettes with the bright background that is the city below.

            This photograph along with the two next to it were all taken by Lewis Hine and are in black and white. As a sociologist, Hine’s photographs reflect the way he saw culture and the world around him. This photo and the ones next to it have an industrial feel that is certainly accurate to the time. I think it is clear Hine was trying to give an accurate representation of the way the world was, and he was giving specific emphasis to working conditions. Three Rivers shows the massive scale of a project like the Empire State Building but also has a subtle message that the work required to complete it was very dangerous. Lewis’s photograph shows the impressive things that can be built by the human hand but also leads the viewer to think at what cost is a structure like this worth it.

            This photograph is art. I think part of what makes a good art is the amount of time put into a piece and how much of a message it is meant to convey. Just to take this photo Hine had to climb up the building like the men he is taking the photograph of did. The photo is clearly framed very well and gives a unique perspective of the lives of workers that many people did not get to see. Hine did a service with this photograph by informing people of the dangers faced by workers on the empire state building. Lewis Hine is expressing himself in this photograph and more importantly he is expressing American culture at the time. I also think effective art is impactful to the viewer. This picture generates emotional power from the viewer because of the precarious position the worker being photographed is in. This photograph is also relevant because it is a picture of something many can relate to.