Irving Penn 1946 - Image Analysis

Irving Penn (1917–2009) was known as “one of the most foremost photographers of the twentieth century” due to his iconic portrait, fashion, and still life images that frequently appeared in Vogue.

"Girl with Fruit, Shoes and Butterflies, New York 1946"

The image above is a monochrome visual of a female woman. She is positioned behind what looks like a table, with a white glove, a single black heeled shoe, a fruit which is cut in half, butterflies and a flower. The only section of the image which the model is in front of is a shadow of a tree. The shot of the model is a close up with direct eye contact, creating intrigue around the unique image. This leads me to believe it is a structured fashion photograph, as everything is positioned in place for a reason. The model herself is completely symmetrical; her hair parting is in line with her nose, cupid’s bow and centre of her chin, with a shadow (most likely from artificial lighting) covering one side. She also has a cropped, short haircut which matches the era in which the visual was created (1946), and her facial expression is very blunt, again engaging the consumer to ask questions. Also linking to the time in which the visual was created, at first glance I would also believe this could be a modern image since the butterflies look as if they have been photoshopped in.

Initially my first impression was negative as I feel the number of different props create confusion – making it difficult to focus on any one thing in particular. I feel that it is rather unattractive as the pattern is random with the collection of different items. However, after closely analysing the visual I believe it can be connoting one of two meanings:

Firstly, the butterfly effect. By definition this is a metaphor which concerns “the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory”. In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the dependence on initial conditions in which one small change at one point in time, can result in great differences in a later state/time. This was a concept which sprung to mind due to the scattering of butterflies in the image. As previously mentioned, they look like a modern addition to the image – possibly connoting that the old-fashioned style of the image (through the colour and model), may link to the other objects further down the line.

Secondly, I believe the visual connotes a link between mother nature, sexuality of a woman’s body and purity – all together as one. The butterflies and flowers denote nature but looking further, they link with female gender stereotypes of ‘pretty things’ being for females. The model is glamorised to look ‘girly’ (but also realistic of the time), and possibly older than she is (appears to be a young teenager) through the use of a pearl necklace. Pearls are often used to symbolize purity and loyalty, linking to my original thoughts of the image, and they are typically common of an older age group since they tend to be gifted.

I have interpreted the white glove as a symbol of cleanliness and purity as it is white, and the glove itself connotes bodily protection. Similarly, the butterflies connote a strong meaning of ‘pure souls’ and life[3], again linking to my main thoughts of the image meaning.

Finally, the section of the image which most stands out to me is the fruit which is cut in half. It is a circular shape, possibly connoting the round cycle of life - from birth and development to death. It is intentionally cut to expose the inside which gives the impression of a diagram of female genitalia. Of course, linking to this is the reproductive system. This brings together my thoughts that the image is composed to focus on mother nature and female sexuality. Additionally, heeled shoes tend to be a symbol of sexuality because “high heels became associated with the lowest statue of a woman and the oldest job in the world”[4], essentially meaning heels can constitute sexism.

To conclude, my second interpretation of the image is much stronger as each section of the image link to one another. After my initial thoughts I searched for information online and found the image was part of a Pinterest board which consists of “27 best Androgenic Images of 2019” (https://www.pinterest.co.uk/artdiktat/androgenic/|). After researching I found that androgenic development is in fact the production of male characteristics which begin through puberty. It’s the time in which someone modifies to be physically capable of producing offspring, and in males this period commonly occurs between ages 12-14. In my opinion this completely links to my analysis, proving others have had the same experience.