Explanation of Susan Sontag on Diane Arbus

Reflecting on the photograph A family on their lawn one Sunday in Westchester, 1868 by Diane Arbus in relation to the ideals that Susan Sontag communicates within photography with relevance to humanities, I found particular connections and similarities between the concepts and the items portrayed. Arbus discovers and reveals a side of society that is mundane, commonplace and somewhat controversial and showcases it. It is a very different way of seeing. Sontag ideas on photography in general are much like the work of Arbus

There is evidence of the moral and aesthetic issues raised by the image and what it is saying. Susan Sontag states that “most people in this society have the idea that to take a picture is to say, among other things: ‘this is worth photographing.’” The photograph gives us a glimpse into these people’s lives. The “shock value” is another aspect to be considered, the intrigue of the image. This is an image that is very relatable: sitting in a lawn chair one hot afternoon. Sontag states “ They (people) refer back to the images in order to have a direct experience of the reality because they have been prepared, in some very dissociated way, by the images and not by the real experience.” A photograph is the proof that something truly took place, that it ‘really exists.’

When first looking at the image it appears to be an average suburban middle-class American family. As the viewer dives deeper into the underlying meaning of the image and the statements that it posses, such as the nature and relationship between the people within the photograph certain aspects emerge. Looking at is the aesthetics of the photograph, such as the lawn taking up two-thirds of the space having a relating factor to a sense of emptiness, and disconnection between the family members. The tress poses a looming presence. There is a literal positioning that gives way to the compelling idea of an emotional inner space. The parents and separated and alone, the man is tense and he holds his hands tight. The mother seems to be relaxed but there is a feeling of discuss in her face. The boy plays alone and is turned away. The photograph suggests a condition, which is underlined in the positioning within and of the family.

A family on their lawn one Sunday in Westchester, 1868 by Diane Arbus

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