Monday, April 12, 2010

Post for April 14

Hello All,

For today's post, repeat the same process as Monday's class: analyze the photograph's theme and how the artist/photographer uses symbols/archetypes to express that theme.

In this case, you are analyzing Graciela Iturbide's Mujer Angel.

As before, be sure to use three quotes (one of each type) in your analysis.

25 comments:

  1. Brittany Stevens

    The artist Graciela Iturbide uses the symbols/archetypes of the dessert, mountains, and flowers to convey the theme of the journey one takes to cleanse their body of sins. The dessert symbolizes a place where an individual can go to find or loose God: “The dessert without God is bareness, futility, sterility, despair; with God it is fruitfulness, hope, completion, grace" (Stevens 106). Through the use of the flowers in the picture, one can depict the meaning of the photograph to mean an individual trying to find God. Stevens writes, “The allegorical use of flowers is very extensive—they appear as the attributes of spring, youth, the dawn, and of feminine virtue, beauty, and purity” (381). The female could be trying to repent her sins, in all efforts to become pure again. According to Stevens, the mountain symbolizes “a bridge between heaven and earth” (109). From there being a mountain in the background, the female could be trying to get to the mountain to be the closest to God, in able to repent.

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  2. The overall theme that Graciela Iturbide's artwork, Mujer Angel, is portraying is the sense of hope in finding meaning to life. Anthony Stevens, author of Ariadne’s Clue, writes “although different flowers have assumed different nuances of meaning, generally the flower is a symbol of nature’s bounty, the transitoriness of life and its delights” (381). The artwork Mujer Angel by Graciela Iturbide, also utilizes the symbol of the mountain to show the path of spirituality: “a bridge between Heaven and Earth” (109). Iturbide also makes use of the desert in her artwork Mujer Angel to represent the “abstraction and aesthetic contemplation” (106) that the vast desert contains due to its never-ending vastness and mirage filled terrain.
    ~Cindy Astorga

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  3. The theme of this photograph is the conflict between the traditional and modern society. They symbol/ archetype used to express this is the radio the woman is holding. The radio doesn’t fit into the desert scene, so the traditional society needs to adapt to modern technologies. Other symbols include the long black hair of the women: “[the way] hair is worn is not just a matter of individual preference but is subject to strong social, conventional, or peer group pressures” (409). Her hair is of great cultural significance, and the social customs determine the way it is worn. The women fully clothed in the desert shows” our [phenomenal capacity] for adaptation to a vast variety of different environments, many of them hostile” (396,397). The woman is adapting to her physical environment now, but the future of the changing social environment is unknown. The viewer cannot see the woman’s face. According to Stevens, “[facial] expressions transcend differences of language and culture and make it possible to achieve some degree of communication”(404). Because the face is not shown, the woman can’t show her feelings or communicate her thoughts about her present way of life.
    Tracy Slegers

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  4. The photo by Mujer Angel, Sonora Desert, Mexico arcatype is journey and it is symbolized by the space of the desert and her never ending journey. According to Stevens (1998),"the journey is the great allegory of life, leaving the familiar past behing and progressing into the unknown future (p 115). The most effective way to learn from mistakes and to get meaningful lessons out of life is through experience: "Hereos in myths...set out on a jouurney encountering trails and ordeal which test their . strength asathey proceed on their quest for...the treasure hard to attain" (Stevens,1998, p.115)According to Steven (1998) a journey is a "inextricably linked to the idea" that usually results from "the goal". (p.155).

    Timeshia Womack

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  5. Artist Graciela Iturbide uses the symbols/ archetypes of mountains, darkness, and of a dessert to convey the journey one takes to reach purification within one’s self. According to Anthony Stevens, author of Ariadne’s Clue, the mountain(s) symbolize(s) “A bridge between Heaven and Earth” (109). From the photograph, Mujer Angel by Graciela Iturbide, the presence of darkness depicts the troublesome that the woman is facing to reach purification state: “Darkness-the time when we are most vulnerable to natural predators and conspecific-attacks-should be symbolically equated with unconsciousness, fearful mystery and evil” (141). Iturbide uses the symbol of a dessert in Mujer Angel to represent life’s process to reach purification of the body and to also represent loneliness “A place where one may suffer abandonment and separation from God or special union with Him” (106).

    Nancy Sanchez

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  6. The artist Graciela Iturbide uses the symbols/archetypes of parts of the body, the desert, and the passage to illustrate the theme of life through journey in Mujer Angel. Every journey begins with a vision or a plan to initiate some form of a movement from step A to B. One must progress and show an initiative to achieve the final desired destination: Back that which is hidden… It is a symbol of strength in the sense that if a job has to be done one must put one’s back into, though it may prove back-breaking” (Stevens, 401-402). During this journey, nature and environment are present as a form of an obstacle used to test the endurance and ambition of an individual. For some, nature and its elements are what people use to hold fast to in times of despair and hopelessness. According to Stevens, “ The scorching dryness of the desert, baked by the golden sun, and parched of all moisture and corruption, carries connotations of moral purity and holiness” (106). These characteristics of the desert bring out the true spirit of an individual as well as sums up all the patients a true creator of God should exhibit. Furthermore, Stevens argues that the “passage a symbol of the way of transcendence” is the bridge to achieving “higher states of consciousness” and is full of elements that are “necessarily difficult and strewn with hazards...” (250). It is without a doubt that these symbols/archetypes are intentionally incorporated within this photograph to exemplify to the viewer the complex theme of life through a journey of a woman in the midst of a desert.

    ~Ali Zanial

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  7. The photo Mujer Angel portrays a woman on a journey to strengthen her relationship with God. Iturbine includes the mountain at a far distance to portray a destination: "to climb the mountain is to go through the ritual stages of ascent to the goal of enlightenment."(110)The woman is looking out towards the mountain indicating her desire to go to the mountain, to go to the "bridge between Heaven and Earth."(109)Stevens states that the desert is "a place where one may suffer from abandonment and separation from God or special union with Him.(106)This indicates her proposed journey through the desert towards the mountain to become unified with God.
    Kari-Lyn Doria

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  8. In the photo Mujer Angel a woman is leaving a troubled past and traveling to a new life of happiness and independence. The photo displays one women on a journey: "encountering trials and ordeals which test their strength and ingenuity as they proceed their quest for some great prize" (155). The women's quest for some great prize is escaping into a new life of happiness and independence and living for herself. The photo shows the women heading toward a desolated valley. According to Stevens, a valley "represents descent to the fertile realm of the Earth Goddess, where the waters of Heaven come together with the soil of the Earth to produce rich harvests to nourish animals and humanity (116). She is descending into the valley to cleanse herself and find herself on her way to her own happiness and independence. The weeds or what looks like thorns that are sticking out of the side of the mountain shows that the woman is escaping "the possibility of vengeance" and again heading to happiness and independence.
    Cory Brown

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  9. The photo, Mujer Angel, shows a woman who is on a journey through the desert. Two archetypes in this photo are the dessert and the mountains. The desert itself can be representing the womans journey to resolve issues going on in her life. According to Anthony Stevens(1998), the is "a symbol comprising both negative and positive implications: it is a pace of temptation by demons but also a place in which God may appear with numinous intensity"(p. 105). As she goes on this journey she will be finding herself, as Stevens(1998) says the desert is "far removed from the profane world of venal eistence" which means the woman "is close to God" through the desert itself(p. 106). Anthony Stevens(1998) implies that the mountains are a symbol that brings one closer to God: "The mountain peak is nearest one can get to to the sky god"(p.110). The girl is on a life changing journey to find herself in the presense of God, and the desert is the one place that makes that possible.

    --Rachel Sterling

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  10. The artist Graciela Iturbide uses the symbols/archetypes of desert, mountains, and darkness in her artwork called Mujer Angel to express tranquility and her loneliness. According to Anthony Stevens, author of Ariadne's Clue, “the desert is a world of abstraction and aesthetic contemplation far removed from the profane world of venal existence, and, for this reason, it is close to God; and monotheism is the ‘religion of the desert’ (Cirlot) (406). Through the use of the mountains Graciela Iturbide is portraying the journey that takes to reach an appearance of harmony: “as a means of ascent to a higher level spiritually, morally, socially, or consciously: abridge between Heaven and Earth;” (109) Iturbide also utilizes the symbol of darkness to represent “an original chaos” (142) to show the problems or confusions that the woman is facing.

    Elvira Alvarez

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  11. In the photograph by Graciela Iturbide titled “Mujer Angel, Sonora Desert, Mexico,” Iturbide uses many symbols in her photograph, to portray the message of mankind especially youth coming closer to God. One of the main symbols present in Iturbides’ photograph is the desert, when thinking of the desert one thinks of being way from other people and in the photograph we see a women walking into the desert alone. According to Stevens, “the desert is a world of abstraction and aesthetic contemplation far removed from the profane world of venal existence, and for this reason, it is close to God” (Stevens 107). Another important symbol that stands out is the radio the women is carrying, when thinking of a radio it’s a way to keep up with events around the world: Stevens quotes Igor Stravinsky view of music, Stravinsky says music is, ‘a union of man with his fellow man and with the Supreme Being’ (Stevens 289). Also, the woman’s long hair is an important symbol because full hair represents, “youthful vigor, sex appeal, and abundant vitality,” this shows that the woman going on the journey symbolizes young people (Stevens 409). So, in Iturbides’ photograph Iturbide uses the symbols of desert landscape, music, and hair to portray the message of youth going on a journey to find an understanding about God.

    Camila Ramirez

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  12. The photo Mujer Angel's theme is the clash between the ways of the old and the ways of new, and not losing sight of one's ability to be unique. According to Anthony Stevens, the desert represents "a place of temptation" (105). The temptation could be to embrace technology, as seen by the woman holding the radio. Also, the mountains in the desert symbolize the woman's "ascent to a higher level of spirituality" (109) as well as "a bridge between Heaven and Earth" (109) which parallels the ways of old and the ways of new. The flowers in the photo represent the fragility of life; "Generally the flower is a symbol of natre's bounty, [and] the transitoriness of life and its delights."

    Sergio Espain

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  13. In Graciela Iturbide’s photo, Mujer Angel, the symbols/archetypes used are mountains, and desert to represent the journey the woman is heading on. The mountains in the photo represent a destination she is heading to or the place she is trying to reach, in where you leave behind the past to start a new beginning. This can only be accomplished by reaching your goal or this case destination; “A mean of ascent to a higher level spiritually, morally, socially, or consciously“ (Stevens 109) The desert can be a symbol of the up’s and down’s she will or is encountering, symbol of “both negative and positive implications” (106).
    Rosio Sanchez

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  14. Graciela Iturbide uses a number of archetypes at her piece called "Mujer Angel, Sonora Desert, Mexico. These archetypes are desert, long hair, white dress, recorder, and etc.
    In my opinion the girl has different point of view than others at her culture, she is more modern, the recorder represents modern technologies that the girl involved to.
    The girl has long hair. According to Desmon Morris (1977) "People with unusual amount of hair are commonly attributed to wild or feral qualities." (409)
    She is ignored by her people because she does not fit their culture. Her "holiness, perfection, and innocence" (148) is represented by a white dress that she is wearing. But her people made her wear black jacket on the dress. By doing this they associated her with "evil" (147).
    She runs away to a desert to escape those people. According to Stevens "Desert with God is fruitfulness, hope, completion, grace." (106) The girl hopes that God will save her.

    _Nigina Boltaeva

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  15. In the painting titled, "Mujer Angel, Sonora Desert, Mexico", the painter, Graciela Iturbide expresses a woman carrying what seems to be a portable recorder, is seen walking in a barren desert. The common theme is commonly seen as a person making a journey from a barren desert and conquering obstacles in order to bring technology to a barren land. According to Stevens, the desert is seen as having "barrenness, futility, sterility, [and]despair" (106). The painting depicts a woman making a journey: "The journey is the great allegory of life, leaving the familiar past behind and progressing into the unknown future" (Stevens, 155). The painting is done in black and white representing the contrasting meanings of these colours, black meaning "darkness, death, sickness, and evil" and white depicting "light, sun, air, and holiness" (Stevens 147, 148). This means that a journey not only contains difficult hardships but also contains rewards upon completing it. Overall, the painting expresses the journey that humankind makes through a barren desert in the quest to bring technology through the archetypes of the desert, the journey, and the colours black and white.

    Fatima Lucio

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  16. In the painting, "Mujer Angel, Sonora Desert, Mexico", by Graciela Iturbide. It is depicted in a desert. "It is, therefore, a place where one may suffer abandonment and separation..."(Stevens 106). This seems as if this woman is abandoned and separated from everything around her. However, she is carrying a boom box this is usually associated with music which "communicates directly with the imagination and the emotions"(Stevens 288). This woman is therefore leaving everything behind and surrounded by nothing yet is riddled with emotions as depicted by the music she carries. Also being in the dessert: "...is a world of abstraction and aesthetic contemplation far removed"(Stevens 106). All these help lend to the intensifying of the atmosphere she is surrounding.
    ~Joel P.

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  17. The theme of Graciela Iturbide's photograph titled, "Mujer Angel, Sonora Desert, Mexico" is journey. In the photograph is a person with extremely long hair walking in nature with a radio in his or her hand. The archetype for journey according to Anthony Stevens is, "leaving the familiar past behind" (155). This person is obviously from the city and was to travel in nature because of the radio in his or her hand. "Escaping from man-made disasters," is another archetype for journey (Stevens 155). This person is walking into nature escaping the man-made town but is not fully getting away from the city. This person on this journey can also be a hero out to do good for his town. "Heroes usually travel alone to fight the bad for their sake and his people" (Stevens 155). This photograph was taken in Mexico which can probably mean that he was on a journey to find new land.

    Kenneth Clark

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  18. The theme of this photo is the journey less taken. In the photo titled Mujer Angel, Sonora desert Mexico by Graciela Iturbide is like a spiritual Journey. Anthony Stevens, Author of Ariadne’s Clue, says a journey is “leaving the familiar past behind and progressing into the unknown future…” (155). People choose to follow Christ, however it is usually the road less taken. For the simple fact that they have to in a since leave their old man or ways and take up the new man/ways. The desert that is in the picture is dry and barren place, yet it can also be a place of refuge: “It is, therefore, a place where one may suffer abandonment and separation from God or special union with Him.” (106). The mountain in the photo is a symbol of ascent to a higher level spiritually, morally…” also “Mount Zion in Jerusalem was God’s home, where he lived among his people” (111). People today struggle with their take on god and what he is about, therefore, they struggle to follow the journey and what God would want them to do. Priscilla Caraballo

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  19. The theme of this photo is the journey less taken. In the photo titled Mujer Angel, Sonora desert Mexico by Graciela Iturbide is like a spiritual Journey. Anthony Stevens, Author of Ariadne’s Clue, says a journey is “leaving the familiar past behind and progressing into the unknown future…” (155). People choose to follow Christ, however it is usually the road less taken. For the simple fact that they have to in a since leave their old man or ways and take up the new man/ways. The desert that is in the picture is dry and barren place, yet it can also be a place of refuge: “It is, therefore, a place where one may suffer abandonment and separation from God or special union with Him.” (106). The mountain in the photo is a symbol of ascent to a higher level spiritually, morally…” also “Mount Zion in Jerusalem was God’s home, where he lived among his people” (111). People today struggle with their take on god and what he is about, therefore, they struggle to follow the journey and what God would want them to do.
    Priscilla Caraballo

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  20. This photo, Mujer Angel, Sonora Desert, Mexico, by Graciela Iturbida is showing someone searching for something new, and coming from Mexico, it's probably new land. It looks like this person isn't accepted by society and is on a journey to find someone or people that does accept their type of style. According to Stevens "the journey is the great allegory of life, leaving the familiar past behind and progressing into theunknown future" (Stevens 155). The flowers in this picture have to mean something:"different flowers have assumed different nuances of meaning, generally the flower is a symbol of nature's bounty, the transitoriness of life and its delights" (Stevens 381). The radio represents "musical instruments" meaning "it communicates directly with the imagination and the emotions" and while looking at this picture, I see that it inspires her in a different way compared to the community she had come from.(Stevens 288-9)

    ***Sean Collier

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  21. In 1979, Graciela Iturbide creates a photo, "Mujer Angel, Sonoro Desert, Mexico". The symbols/architypes used in this photo convey that the woman may be seeking something greater beyond life. According to Stevens, "It is this passionate attachment to the land that makes people ready to die" (108). The mountain she is walking towards shows a sense of direction: "a bridge between Heaven and Earth (109). Although she journeys towards a path of rightousness, behind her are dark flowers, "as a symbol of violation" she may have left behind her( 318). The woman walks with her head down, coming from dark flowers seems to be ashamed from what she is coming from and may be ready for life beyond Earth.

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  22. last post by Sarina Flores

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  23. The image pertains to the struggle to remain pure and upright in a changing and corruptable world. According to Stevens back's may be "a symbole of strength" (401) and "[a]n upright man is one who has a backbone" (402). The desert in this image may well symbolize one's effort to remain pure in a corrupt world: "the desert is a world of abstraction and aesthetic contemplation far removed from the profane world of venal existence, and, for this reason, it is close to God" (Stevens, 106). While they hold various meanings, flowers represent good even in a dark world as Stevens aruges flowers depict "the transitoriness of life and its delights" (381).
    --Michael Adamson

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  24. Graciela Iturbe's, "Mujer Angel" photography brings out archetypes of mother, desert, and death which represents the theme of people who struggle everyday to cross the border looking for a better life. The women in the photography bring out a mother figure who is in the desert looking for people to help out through their journey, in Anthony Stevens (1998), " Mother Nature represents water, sea, which represent nourishments of life as well as personifying the unconscious...", he argues that in order to survive a Mother of any kind which represents the ancient GODS believes of earth, moon, and nature Mothers are important elements in how a person is able to survive in life. The desert represents a negative place of abandonment and separation of family. According to Anthony Stevens (1998), argues that " It is a place where one be suffer abandonment and separation from GOD or a special union with him". What he means is that a desert since the before JESUS CHRIST has been viewed as a place of evil that leads a man away from GOD. Death for many religious believes is viewed as a place that humans and even animals have to go to in order to experience resurrection. The desert in this photo represents death because the black and white brings out the symbolism of sadness and death. According to Anthony Stevens (1998), " In the midst of life we are in death". Death is an archetype of symbolism of life and resurrection. We live knowingly aware that death will come something that no other animal species have.



    sarahi veloz

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  25. The artist Graciela Iturbide uses the symbols/archetypes of parts of the body, the desert, and the passage to illustrate the theme of life through journey in Mujer Angel. Graciela uses a passage through the dessert to get to the top of a mountain. The mountain can be the center of the journey to confront her purpose in life. According to Anthony Stevens (1998), “the central importance of the Self, its powerful autonomy in sustaining and coordinating our psychic existence, would explain the ease with which we humans have ubiquitously identified it with a Supreme Being, or God, conceived as a transpersonal entity outside ourselves and responsible for everything that happens to us (p.62). Anthony Stevens (1998) explains that the mountains are a gateway to God: “a means of ascent to a higher level spiritually, morally, socially, or consciously; a bridge between Heaven and Earth; a marker of the navel centre of the world (p.109). The desert is the journey one must go through to reach god and find the “Self”. Anthony Stevens (1998) argues that “ desert” gives one access to positive and negative implications: “ it is a place of temptation by demons, but a may be a place where one suffer abandonment and separation from God or a special union with Him (p.105). Robert De Anda

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