8

Gestalt Composition

Joe DiMaggio

David M. Spindel

Irene and Frederick Joliot-Curie (Magnum Photo)

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Similarity: Things that are similar in size, shape, color, movement, and so on will be seen as belonging together and grouped as a unit. In this black-and-white photograph by Bresson, two prominent French scientists who are husband and wife are similarly dressed in dark clothes, have similar expressions and similar lighting on their faces, and hold their hands in a similar fashion. They are easily seen as a unit, and as the saying goes, couples who have been married for a long time begin to not only act alike but to look and sound alike. Madame Curie was born in Poland and later became a French citizen. In 1903 she won the Nobel Prize in Physics and in 1911 the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity and the first person to be honored with two Nobel Prizes. In 1898 she named the first new chemical element that she discovered polonium, for her country of origin.

Minor White

David Spindel

Proximity: The closer two or more things are, the greater the chance that they will be seen as a unit, group, or pattern. Minor White holds his yellow Zone System book in both hands and his head is centered in front of a large mock-up of a Weston Meter dial that he used to teach the Zone System. The nearness of Minor’s head to the large dial is such that head and dial are seen as a unit and belonging together. Spindel was Minor’s student at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Minor sent a copy of the photograph to his friend Ansel Adams and Ansel wrote Minor that it was the best photo he had seen of him and that he looks angelic.

Jungbauer Westerwald, 1914

August Sander

Similarity and Proximity: Three young German farmers in similar dark suits and white shirts stand posed, looking directly at the camera and photographer. The distance (proximity) between the man on the left and the two on the right is essential for the arrangement. It can be thought of as an interval, providing a more interesting composition than if all three were grouped without the interval. Although the men are dressed alike, they are dissimilar in how they present themselves. The two men on the right have a similar pose, but the one at the left does not. The dissimilarity keeps the composition from being static. His hat and cane are tilted, a cigarette dangles from his mouth and his expression is a bit different. Similarity, dissimilarity, proximity, and interval all work together in this outstanding photograph.

Peruvian Children

Fatima NeJame

Similar things in close proximity are easily grouped as a unit, as we see here. All five girls are in similar dress and are close to each other. An interval separates the three girls at the left from the two to the right, but all are seen as belonging. One can imagine a right triangle with the three girls, which in itself makes for a strong grouping. Dissimilarity in size between the three girls and the two to the right adds interest, as does the way that the smaller girls are directly engaging the viewer while the two taller girls are looking off to the right. The background provides a setting without diminishing the attention given to the girls.

Tree Shadow Tree

Richard D. Zakia

Continuation: The eye prefers to follow things that have the least amount of change or interruption. Notice how the eye follows the shadow of the tree trunk as it continues up the wall and connects with the top of the tree trunk on the other side of the wall. The eye movement is continuous and is not interrupted by the spread of shadows of the branches on the wall or the branches at the top of the tree. For the eyes to follow any one of the branches requires a change in direction. In a sense, the eye follows the path of least resistance.

Del Mar, California

Barry Myers

Closure: We have a tendency to want to complete familiar things (shapes, forms, lines, and so on) that are nearly complete but not. In this photograph of a trainer pointing his finger at a colorfully dressed jockey, the finger almost touches the jockey’s nose but does not. We, however, automatically see the photograph as needing completion and do so by closing the gap between the finger and the nose. If the distance (interval) had been greater, would we still have completed the implied movement and formed closure? Probably not, for the width of the interval is critical for completeness. Our mind is primed to complete what is incomplete and seeks to do so—we participate in the event and are rewarded. (Mary had a little lamb, her fleece was white as …).

The Creation of Adam

Michelangelo

In this famous and familiar painting by Michelangelo, God the creator at the right extends his finger to give life to Adam, who also extends his finger to receive life. The fingers do not touch, however, and life has not yet been given. It is up to the viewer to activate the action by having the fingers touch. By doing so, we complete the action and form closure.

The size of the interval between the fingers (proximity) is critical: if it were too large, the connection would be weakened. If there were no interval and the fingers were touching, the painting would be static and not alive, awaiting completion by the viewer.

Korean Memorial

David A. Page

Notice, again, the importance of the interval in this photograph of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. The chosen vantage point created the interval that separates the lead soldier from the rest. He looks intensely ahead as the others follow and look off to the side for potential enemies. A high camera position was needed to avoid the road and tourist buses just behind the memorial. The memorial brilliantly captures the hardship and mood of combat soldiers on patrol in enemy territory. The statues are just over 7 feet high and represent men from each branch of the military: Army, Marine Corp, Navy, and Air Force.

Untitled

Andrew Davidhazy

When you first look at this photograph, you might puzzle for a moment wondering what it is a picture of. The blurriness provides a feeling of movement and action but parts of the photo are missing. A couple of clues, blurred ball and sneaker, help to identify that it as a photo of a tennis player swinging and hitting a tennis ball. But where is his face or head? Because of the vantage point from which the photo was taken, all we “see” is the top of the head, which is a dark blur and appears to be missing. Once the photo is identified for what it suggests, however, closure takes place and we see and can feel the fast action and movement of the player—we participate in the photo and event. If the photo had been captioned “Tennis” would you have seen it more easily at first? Probably so, for a caption becomes part of the photo, part of the gestalt.

Roman Amphitheatre, Valencia, 1933 (Magnum Photo)

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Bresson’s photograph Roman Amphitheatre, Valencia, 1933 can be seen as an example of similarity, proximity, continuation, and closure. The man’s white spectacle and large, white half-circle are similar in color and shape and in close proximity. One is invited to continue the circular movement on the large number 7 target to form a closure on the half-circle. Note how the lower, dark portion of the circle easily connects with the edge of the man’s jacket to facilitate the continuation. Cartier-Bresson made at least seven photographs of this subject setting and chose to publish only the one shown here because the various elements of this image work together to form a strong gestalt.