Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Art of Assassination



I basically had to pick a picture for my art class to do a critique on.
I chose:




This black and white photograph taken by Robert Jackson, former photographer for the Dallas Times, captures one of the most infamous images in American history. Taken on November 24th, 1963, the photograph shows Lee Harvey Oswald, suspected assassin of President Kennedy, being assassinated himself by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby. Even though this photograph was not a premeditated work of art, and taken really out of mere surprise, you cannot really tell. The scale and proportion of the photograph is perfect. Not only does the picture capture Oswald and Ruby at the center, but the camera also captures the reactions of the people around them, giving the photograph an atmospheric perspective. Being a picture that falls into the sociocultural category, it also captures the turbulence and madness that ensued during the 1960’s. The 1960’s not only saw the assassination of a beloved President, but also: heated racial tension, the Vietnam War, furthering strain with Soviet relations, and even more political assassinations to follow in the late 1960’s, including the assassinations of Martin Luther King, and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The photograph is also a staple for people who believe that Oswald was not acting alone in the assassination of President Kennedy. It is photographic proof that someone somewhere didn’t want Oswald to see trial for his crime. The official statement by our government is that Ruby acted alone in the assassination of Oswald, but as more and more government files are declassified, proof of a conspiracy is eminent. Maybe Oswald is exactly what he said he was…just a patsy.


The photograph provided by ARTstor is cropped. This is the full picture, which I feel captures even better the atmospheric perspective of the photograph.