Midterm Analysis

Aunt Marcia, Newton, MA, 1971 ©Henry Horenstein

This photograph by Henry Horenstein is a portrait of his Aunt Marcie from his book “Close Relations.” In the picture his Aunt is portrayed sitting on a floral patterned sitting chair in what seems to be a living room. There is a table to her right holding a fruit lamp, drink coasters, a mug with a utensil sticking out, two jewelry boxes, a pair of glasses and what looks like a vase with a fake flower. On the other side of her is another table with a plant holding up a painting. The carpet is somewhat shaggy while the walls look plain and are made of wood. And Marcie has her legs crossed very lady like, with her hands resting on her legs. She has a nice vibe because of her half-smile. The composition is somewhat symmetrical. The 70’s vibe radiates from this photograph.

This photograph is showing a place of comfort for the subject, who is Henry Horenstein’s Aunt Marcie. Although she looks slightly dressy in a long sleeved dress, she is wearing no shoes which show she is comfortable in the setting of the picture. Also, her body language is very relaxed in the pose she is taking. You can see the ‘close relation’ between the photographer and the subject because of how at ease and welcoming she seems. This is most likely her living room because of the mug with the utensil sticking out and the glasses lying on the table. She seems to be middle class because nothing in the photograph yells out wealthy furniture or objects. Because the painting she owns is just placed on a table propped up by a plant, I assume that this could be painted by her or someone she knows. It could be a gift she got and just placed there for time being.

I believe this photograph ties in with the rest of Henry Horenstein’s work well. It especially compliments the rest of his work from his first series “Close Relations.” Horenstein shot the series suring his time as a student at Rhode Island School of Design. He wanted to capture his friends, family, as well as other people he grew up knowing. His portraits capture a part of his own history, which was another goal of this series. All the photographs tell a story of someone and allow you to take a peek into their lives.