Gregory Crewdson

Ari Felsen

Professor Roman

FMX 381

1 October 2018

Gregory Crewdson

Nearly every one of photographer Gregory Crewdson’s work/photos are very powerful and excellent. He effectively incorporates a plethora of very creative and aesthetic elements in his photos; which definitely enhances and makes his pictures more visually stimulating and appealing, but ultimately serves to supplement the mood or message that he’s trying to convey to the audience. One of Crewdson’s images that really speaks to me is his photo, “Woman in Bathroom; 2013”. I find this one so powerful because of how interpretable the image is. It depicts a naked woman looking at herself in the mirror. To me, her body posture and head looking down imply that she is depressed or unhappy with her appearance, which is a common problem that many women/people in society suffer from. Even though this woman is far from ugly, it appears that she may feel that she is not good enough, which almost every person has felt at one point or another. This creates somewhat of a relationship between the subject and the audience, as anyone who has gone through that kind of situation can relate or feel what she’s feeling. Another reason why I find this photo so interpretable is what the other details around the subject tell the viewer. If her house and floor were dirty or messy with junk all over the place, I think it would further compliment the mood/message that I originally interpreted. If her house was cluttered and looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks, it would strongly suggest that the woman is clearly depressed. However, since that is not the case, it might mean that I am actually totally wrong about the message that Crewdson intended. Likewise to the prop details, the use of lighting is also very important. Lighting may be one of Crewdson’s most important tools/elements of which he uses in his art. Good lighting is vital for taking best quality pictures, but he is so precise and careful about getting the perfect possible lighting, which is one of his most notable strengths in his work. In this picture, his lighting strongly conveys a gloomy mood. The window tells us that it is daytime, but is probably cloudy or rainy outside, as the window light is pretty dim. The ceiling lamp is turned off, making the rest of the room darker and less vibrant, while the only lights actually on are a few small bathroom lights, which don’t emit too much light anyway. I believe that if he would have used more lights with the same picture, the mood would be much different. Gregory Crewdson is extremely careful and smart about what components or props to use in his work. He will do just about anything he can to make the photo come out exactly as he wants, no matter what it takes or how far fetched it is to do so. Therefore, I think that he must have had an intended message for the “Woman in Bathroom”; however, the fact that it is still so interpretable and thought-provoking makes this one really compelling and special.