Speaking Through the Lens

(This is a sample photograph from the Whitworth collection. This is not the photograph mentioned)

Upon first glance, the photograph collection by T. Coke Whitworth in the Ackland Art Museum seems almost comical. The collection includes a photo of a deer in the family living room, as well as a photo of three boys practicing their gun skills. Like the artist I spent part of my childhood in the “backwoods” of North Carolina. My dad raised hogs, and birthdays meant ‘pig pickins’. My little cousin got his first bb gun when he was eight, and by age ten his favorite sport was ‘huntin’. Perhaps this is what first attracted me to the collection. I could relate to the people and the setting of the photographs. To me, it was sort of ‘a day in the life’. However, one picture stuck out from the rest. It was a photograph of the woods, almost identical to the woods I played in as a child. The trees are not dense, they are farther apart. There are a lot of greens and browns, and even white, which means it’s probably late winter or early spring. The woods’ floor is littered with debris. There are tires, a broken recliner, animal carcasses, and a plethora of other trash. On the foremost tree there is a picture of the back of a very large, naked woman. Again, this photo has that comical aspect. But when I started to actually study the picture more, I realized that the artist was saying something through this picture. Through this photograph, artist T. Coke Whitworth is attempting to convey the careless attitude society has adopted towards the environment.

Initially, the message the artist is trying to convey is somewhat subtle. There are no environmental aspects shown in the painting. When first looking at the picture, you may think the artist is just trying to be funny. It is entirely possible that he placed the trash there for artistic purposes. However, I do not believe this is the case. According to the artist, his motive was to capture true life in his hometown of Zionville, North Carolina. By doing this he is revealing truths about society that are more pertinent to me than any picture taken in a big city like New York or Los Angeles. You would expect to see abominations to nature in a larger city, but not in a small southern town. The artist uses various tactics to make his message stand out in the photo.

Essentially, the fact that the debris are in the foreground makes them the focal point. This helps to make the message clearer. The audience’s gaze immediately follows the pattern of the trash. The rubber tires, the broken recliner; and then you start to notice smaller details like the dead animal carcasses and the fur. Finally your gaze centers on the picture within the picture. The photo of the large naked woman hanging on the tree is appalling and somewhat disgusting. Then you start to become disgusted by the entire photo. The trash and animal carcasses are seen in an even more negative light. In my opinion, the author uses this method to engage the audience’s view and attract them to the real message of the photo. He is depicting a sort of ‘throw away’ society. Obviously, whoever dumped the trash there had no concerns about the consequences it would have on the environment. Obviously the trash is unable to decompost, and therefore is polluting the forest floor. Besides this, the audience also sees how the trash affects a once beautiful woods scene. The background of the photo is the woods without any trash. This half of the photo is picturesque. By capturing both sides the artist allows the audience to see the ugliness of the littered forest floor. These methods all help to convey the artist’s message that society is unconcerned about environmental issues. Our society has become a selfish one. They throw their trash away wherever they want to, without considering mother nature.

Now, you may be thinking my view is a bit far-fetched. It may be. The artist himself in his statement says that he is interested in capturing heritage, both emotional and physical. However, he also states that he is attracted to looking around his hometown and seeing the socio-economic and environmental evidence of what has been passed down. The artist’s statement only reinforces my opinion of the digital print. His photograph of the trashed forest is a warning. If society continues in this way, what will we be passing down to future generations? Surely they are entitled to see the woods in the picturesque way nature intended them to be, rather than the trashed version today’s society is creating.

Ultimately, I enjoyed viewing T. Coke Whitworth’s collection in the Ackland Art Museum. By examining these photos, I forced myself to search for the message he was trying to convey. If I had only glanced at these photos I would never have been able to see that he was speaking about society’s carelessness through his art. The photograph of the littered forest floor is especially pertinent to this subject. By photographing this, the artist demonstrates that what society is passing on to future generations is a polluted world. Through his art I believe Whitworth is warning society, and conveying the foolishness of this. The most important part of this piece is the photo within the photo. The artist uses the hideousness of it to parallel the hideousness of the trashed woods. Society should take this message to heart, and prepare a beautiful world to be enjoyed by generations to come. You should also learn from my experience. When dealing with art, you cannot always see what the artist is saying with just one glance. Sometimes you have to dig deeper to see the true meaning.