Magnum Photographer: Richard Kalvar

 


   Of the photographers listed on the Magnum Photography website, I chose to analyze the work of Richard Kalvar. The primary reason I chose Richard Kalvar as my photographer was that his work stood out to me the most among the other photographers. The reason Kalvar's work was most interesting to me was that the majority of his images are candid photographs that catch people in rather awkward, unconventional, or bizarre poses or acts. This made Kalvar's work so eye-catching to me, as I examined the rather odd poses of his subjects or the unexpected moments captured in his images.
    I selected this particular image by Richard Kalvar out of all his other images. The reason I wanted to examine this image most was due to the exaggerated facial expression of the young man on the left in this image, which Kalvar was able to capture. The expression of this young man is rather awkward, yet somewhat comical as well. The young man appears dumbfounded, leading me, as the viewer, to wonder if something the other gentleman in the image said evoked such an animated response from the young man, or if the young man is lost in his own thoughts. My eye is immediately drawn to what initially appears to be an over-the-top expression from the young man on the left. The other man in this photo then sparks my curiosity and prompts me to formulate my own narrative regarding what may be being said, or going on, between the two men. 
    Another component of this image that contributes to the rather chaotic and odd mood of this photograph is its background. The rather extravagant fountain in the background of this photo is somewhat distracting, but it contributes to the overall sense of weirdness and unconventionality of the image. This beautiful and elaborate fountain in the background is an added layer to this photo that amplifies its randomness. The fountain initially seems rather out of place in the image, yet it does not negatively take away from the image since it only enhances the various random and odd components already present in the image; like the extreme expression of the young man, and the obliviousness of the older man on the right, who both seem rather unaware or unaffected by one another's presence. 
    A final component I found of all of Richard Kalvar's work is that all of his photographs are in black and white. I personally do not think his photos were any more impactful in black and white than they would have been in color. If anything, I think having color within his photography would have added more to the concept of chaos and randomness in many of Kalvar's photos. That being said, black and white was constant in all of Richard Kalvar's photography and I do think having this consistency of black and white in all of his images made for a very cohesive and aesthetically appealing portfolio when examining all Kalvar's photography as a whole. 

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