Rhetorical Analysis Painting

1351 Words3 Pages

This photograph of the Execution of a Viet Cong prisoner in Saigon is a very powerful, political and emotionally affecting photograph taken by Eddie Adams. First of all, the photograph is in black and white, unusual from the conventional colour photograph that we are used to seeing in today’s modern world. As the photograph is in black and white, the eye doesn’t attract to the vibrant colours that would usually be seen, the focal point is the scared look on the Viet Cong prisoner’s face. It’s the shock and the power that is immediately brought to the attention of the viewer’s eye when they first look upon the photograph. The eye is then immediately attracted to the cause of the photograph, General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. The photograph really captures …show more content…

The shapes of the photograph mostly seem to be quite regimented. The background seems mostly plain, detracting away from the main power of the image. The buildings are mostly out of focus; however the soldiers who are also out of focus, still have a strong outline of their presence and power in the photograph. The textures of the photograph, and also the depth of field added are quite different from each other. The foreground seems sharp, in focus with hardly any grain and quite smooth texture, whereas the background is very different. It is rough in texture, not in focus and showing quite a lot of grain. This is common in the age of the photograph and the process’ that were used to create and process the image. As the photograph was taken around 46 years ago, the quality of film in the camera, the developing process and also the enlargement of the image all play a part in the overall impact and texture of the …show more content…

This is because the shadowing of the person to the right of the prisoner is directly in front of him, indicating the sun is at its highest for the day. The day also seems to be pretty clear with slight cloud. The shadowing of the picture also helps people in the foreground stand out, from the sunlight and people in the background have been captured like a ghostly silhouette. To the left of the General, you can see a silhouette of a person walking away from the scene that is being shot. The person doesn't have any facial expressions shown, which therefore brings across an unknown personality from

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