Family portrait, originally uploaded by benaston.
This begins the first of what I hope will be a series of portraits.
What, at first glance, might be mistaken to be a poorly composed and exposed picture, is in fact, just that.
But you’ll see that Steepfun in the background holds up a green canvas which adds to the intensity of Claire’s ‘green-ness’. This is a metaphor for the role of the husband in affirming his wife and giving her a green light, to be the woman she is meant to be.
The cupcake reflects the couple’s love for food.
So there’s more to the picture than that.
Photogrart.
But what else? What layers of complex meaning in this rich tapestry do you see?
1) standing in front of quite a number of a domestic objects (bin, ironing board and fridge), and in front of a husband is blatantly rich in post-feminist symbolism. It states that Woman is no longer constrained by what used to imprison them in the home – she has clearly symbolically, physically and emotionally put these behind her.
2) Steepfun’s painting can be construed as a physical barrier between the couple to the untrained eye. instead i think it’s a metaphor for a baby. This is re-enforced by the empty plant pot in the background, awaiting a seed to bloom, a flower to grow
3) An open door shows the unknown future for the couple; the fact its in the corner shows its not a worry for adventurous couple
4) the radio as the highest objects shows the import the couple put on communication
5) The bottle of voddie behind it – Claire is a closet drinker The fact it is in the kitchen concerns me somewhat