Photo Critiques -- Part 2

Here is part 2 of my critique series. I don't know that there's much more to say as a preface since I basically said it all in Part 1. Although I will point out something that is pretty evident -- I have a concern for the human condition in a way. My focus here is on the people that inhabit the photographs and the emotion that the emit to the viewer.

Richard Avedon - Marilyn Monroe, actor, New York, May 6, 1957
http://www.richardavedon.com/

Vik Muniz has said that this is "a picture of Norma Jean, not Marilyn." I don't think it's hard to see why he would say that. This is one of those pictures that haunts me. The look on Marilyn's face, she's not on. She's not there. Or, she is there, but only internally. Something is weighing on her mind and Avedon has captured her contemplating it. It is such a stark contrast to the Marilyn that is remembered in posters, on t-shirts, notebooks, stickers, and more. This is the real Marilyn, and her vulnerability in this photo shows that she was a real person and not just something lovely to look at.

Larry Sultan - Mom Posing for Me

Here is another picture that I find myself thinking of often. There is a gentle sadness that resounds throughout the image and comes to an apex on the face of Sultan's mother. It's almost like one is taking a peek into their daily life, even though the image is clearly posed. The husband watching TV, his back to his wife and son (although I'm aware that at this point Sultan was no longer living with his parents), the wife standing strong behind him trying her best to act unaffected as the son watches on from a distance.

Eolo Perfido - Fallen Angel
http://www.eoloperfido.com/

In this image, the face of the man pictured is hidden, but that doesn't mean that he is being any less expressive. His face is turned away from the camera and his arms are propped up against the wall a bit awkwardly (I'm not using awkward in a bad way here). I imagine that he is so overcome with some great grief that he can not bear to hold himself up anymore and it is only a matter of moments before he slides down the wall. There is a posed kind of quality about this one that throws me off a little bit. I know that both Avedon and Sultan's images are posed as well, but only to an extent. This has more farce in it but what might be throwing me off is having it shown with the previous images where the focus is so direct and authentic.