VISUAL ANALYSIS - VIVIANE SASSEN, 2012
A young looking girl lies on a tennis court on her back with her legs in a W formation. Her right arm covers her face in a triangular shape and her left arm is fully extended laying above her head. She is wearing a yellow 3/4 length sleeve carven top with light pink flowers patterned across it and a pair of striped shorts. She is also wearing a pair of white and black canvas platform shoes. The background of the image is a burnt orange tennis court that fills the pictorial space around her with white, blue and yellow lines clustered mainly to the right of the image. The multi use court she is laying on and her outfit are reminiscent of 1970’s active wear.
The key visual in the image is the girl lying in the uncomfortable position in the forefront of the image, creating a three dimensionality in comparison to the flatness of the background. The vertical central blue line in the image contrasts with the muted colour of the rest of the background and on the girl’s clothing. The line formation also reminds me of Jean Gorin’s concept of rigid geometricism and use of primary colours. The balance of the photograph is asymmetrical as the two sides are not identical, but differ from one another where the lines move in varied directions and are heavier on the right side. However, the positioning of the lines and the slight reflection of the girl are arranged so that there is a sense of balance. Asymmetrical balance and the fact there is no shadow in the frame contributes to the sharpening of the focus on the girl.
The girl seems to be lying on a multi purpose court, where the yellow and blue lines meet centrally under her torso. The girl looks uncomfortable and is in a contorted position that looks like she could have been thrown by a shot to her body. The meeting of the lines could resemble a target implying the girl is the bullseye. This could be a reflection of the immense pressure and distress felt by juvenile athletes often imposed upon them by their parents, suggested by her collapsed state.
Her positioning could also be viewed as suggestive as her legs are slightly apart and her arms are placed openly above her despite the fact she is in childish clothing; this could relate to the film Lolita where a young girl is groomed by her step father who has a fixation on her. In the film she dresses in ‘provocative’ clothing where her legs are often exposed as she wears short dresses, in the start of the film she is seen laying down reading - this is where she caught the attention of her soon to be groomer. The fact she is laying down, modelling her flexibility could be a reference to the film and it’s emphasis on how her childish ways are tempting to an older man. The infatuation with Lolita leads to a death in the final scenes of the film so her dramatic positioning could also be a note to the death through passion.
This photograph has achieved a sharp, clean and articulated aesthetic. The use of the lines on the court floor lead the eyes to the girl, drawing attention to the carven garments being advertised. Human form tends to be the most interesting thing in an image and Sassen has played with flexibility, colour and geometricism to create an image that is both simple yet entirely complicated.
Patterned areas also command attention so by placing the garments against a relatively plain background one is drawn further into the figure.
I’m intrigued by this image as a millennial with an appetite for nostalgic looks. The garments themselves appear to be functional pieces fused with a feminine style. The image appears to tell you that the garments are contemporary cool but still conveys a sense of youth through the sporty retro background. The photograph is compelling as the setting of the image would suggest the girl is exhausted from playing a sport, however her positioning and the covering of her face allows her to occupy a passive role in the photograph despite being the main feature and leaves the viewer asking questions.