The image I have chosen to discuss is Ophelia, by Gregory
Crewdson. The reason I have chosen this image to discuss is primarily due to my
friend Adria informing me that the four images presented to the majors were the
ones we were supposed to discuss, and also because of the image itself was very
captivating.
The
image depicts what seems to be a living room knee deep underwater with a woman
lifelessly floating in the center of the room. What’s really interesting about
this image however is the color scheme. When looking at the water we see that
it is murky and non-transparent. For me
as an individual I find deep water or non-transparent water gives me anxiety
and makes me nervous. It’s possibly form the idea that anything could lie
beneath. Add onto the fact that a woman is now seemingly dead and floating
above it like a goldfish that was underfed gives the water a dark and almost
morbid feel to it.
At the same
time, the walls and furniture are almost a jaundice-y yellow color as though
they have been rotted away or have begun decomposing. What was once a family
home and living room is now rotting and decaying away. The idea of a family
home lost.
But perhaps
the most interesting is the look on the woman’s face. She seems almost peaceful
in death. It is as if she felt no pain as passed on. She is also depicted wearing a white
nightgown. With this I feel there are many underlying tones that could be
drawn. Perhaps she passed peacefully in
her sleep, or maybe this disaster in her home is relaxing. I think all these
messages and the aesthetic quality of the image make for a very interesting
piece, which is why I chose the image.
