Uncanny Valley
I lurk in a Facebook group called "Photos of Evansville, Indiana." In it, photographers of various skill levels share photos taken around our city.
Two days ago, a member shared this photo taken across the street from Reitz Memorial High School:
Image Credit: Ted Byrom, via the "Photos of Evansville, Indiana" Facebook group
It's terrible, and I love it.
I could totally see it as a pop art painting in our local museum. Art teachers would ask the students:
- "What do you think the artist was trying to portray?
- "What does the hand sanitizer represent?"
- "What about the Road Closed sign?"
- "Notice how the composition hat-tips the classical concept of a vanishing point while boldly departing from the typical usage!"
- "Likewise with the pillar. It follows the rule of thirds by placing something on the line, but breaks the rule by making it entirely insignificant. What did the artist intend to imply by this?"
I like how the hand sanitizer sits in the foreground and immediately catches your eye as if it's the subject of the photo. Then you realize that it's out-of-focus, and move up to the stop sign. But that's... also not an interesting subject. From there, the composition draws you to the Road Closed sign, which isn't very interesting either. The photo is almost interesting, but lacks a clear subject. It only leaves you confused.
Lose the hand sanitizer and add a girl walking by with an boldly-colored umbrella, and it would work just fine. Or keep the hand sanitizer, add an N95 mask, and post it during COVID as a commentary. Five years ago, the stop sign and construction barrier could have been meaningful:
"Life has stopped, and all roads to happiness are blocked. I feel stagnant, and all I can do is keep washing my hands and hoping to survive it"
Obviously, this is just someone's snapshot of a view that he liked, but couldn't convey. He accidentally managed a composition that fell into the uncanny valley between "Just someone's snapshot" and "Art that's trying to say something", and it's hilarious.