Steve McCurry - A picture speaks a thousand words

By Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry, one of the finest photographers today, was born in Philadelphia and graduated from College of Arts and Architecture at Pennsylvania State University in 1974. After working at Penn State Newspaper for about two years, he decided to leave home for India. He traveled extensively all over the world producing many iconic pictures. One of his most memorable pictures was the picture of a 12 year old Afghan girl named Sharbat Gula who lost her parents in a war when she was just a baby. It became the cover page of National Geographic and she had been referred to many as the "Afghan Girl", of course, we can all remember her pair of green eyes. This picture was taken more than 25 years ago when he crossed the Pakistan border into rebel-controlled Afghanistan. It was also due to the many pictures he had taken during this time that he became well known to the world. He had received numerous awards including the Robert Capa Gold Medal for best photographic reporting as well as recognizing his exceptional courage. His photographs often explores the themes of victims of wars and conflicts, aftermath of war and conflicts, people and their religion, religious festivals, children and people of less developed countries. Many times, he risked his life just to produce these amazing pictures so that we are able to know what is going on in these countries. In McCurry's blog, he believed that his pictures can help those in need; to him, "many of us are in a position to help others, but few of us are aware of what we can do or what a difference our contribution can make, I hope my photographs help people become more informed and find a way to contribute."

I have chosen this picture of an Indian boy running because it shows unique colors and designs, and at the same time it is also telling a story. On the wall there are red hand prints and a boy is running away. Was it the boy's hand prints? Is he running away because he had done something naughty? By looking at the picture, I would guess that the Indian boy must have stolen something, perhaps money, and he is running away from the crime he has committed. From the clothes he wore, he is definitely one of the many poor boys in India. The primary colors of red and blue make the picture very lively. We can see that the boy's feet are off the ground as if he is running away very quickly. There is a lot of energy in this picture. I can feel myself cheering for the boy to run quickly and it seems like he has succeeded running away. It is sad that the boy had to steal for a living but yet I feel happy that he is able to run away. The hand prints on the wall makes the wall look like a piece of art. At the same time, it reminded me of myself when I was very young still doodling with paints. I used to put my hand prints and foot prints on a piece of paper. I like this picture not only because of the colors but also because it reminded me of my happy childhood and I know that I am really fortunate compared to the Indian boy.

From McCurry's pictures, I believe that every picture tells a story. I learned that taking a picture is not just about capturing the main subject, but also how the picture is presented or composed. In McCurry's pictures, there are lots of colors and depth. Just like the picture above about the Indian boy, we can see the vibrant colors of India and the depth in the photo. Many of McCurry's photos shows the victims of war and conflict such as children holding guns. It makes us wonder what is going to happen to these children. What are they going to do next? His work reflects not only on his own journey but also the subject's journey. Just like the picture known as "Vrindavan, The City of Widows", the old lady in the picture was taken during his journey in India. In India, most of the widows proceed to the holy city to wait for their death as when their husbands die, they become unwanted by their relatives because a widow is considered to bring bad luck. One will definitely feel sorry and sad for the old lady who is all hunched back and yet she is still persistent on making her journey to Vrindavan. With the grey background and the skinny ox, it is definitely a sad picture. But the green door at the background again shows the vibrant colors of India. Besides looking at the subject and knowing its story, McCurry's picture is like a piece of artwork which colors are nicely co-ordinated. To McCurry, "the magic of this image is its ambiguity; the woman is anonymous, yet she embodies everyone who meets challenges with a deep-seated will to overcome them." Now I understand why a picture speaks a thousand words.

Vrindavan-The City of Widows

Jason and The Golden Fleece

In class, we watched a documentary about the Greek myth, "Jason and The Golden Fleece."

In the beginning, Jason was the son of the king of Iolcus. But Jason's uncle Pelias stole the throne. jason is then offered a task which if he passes, he will be rewarded the throne. The task was chosen because no mortal except the gods can succeed. But Pelias didn't know that Jason had Hera on his side. Jason faced many dangers like the clashing rocks.

When Jason reached Colchis, He met king Aeetes. His daughter Madea was a sorcerer that soon fell in love with Jason. Because of love, Madea did not hesitate to betray her father by helping Jason. But in return Jason Promised to take her with him and make her his queen.

Shabanu

In class, we have been reading a book called "Shabanu." It is about a girl's way of life in Pakistan and her culture. In the book, Shabanu is a 11 yr old girl who lives in a poor but happy family. She has been allowed freedoms forbidden to most muslim girls. Yet her parents are concerned that her independence and disinterest in women's work will lead to trouble.

Soon, Shabanu and her sister, Phulan are forced to marry their cousins, Hamir and Murad. The two sisters accept it as a duty to their family.

Then a wealthy landowner ruins phulan's marriage plans, and it is Shabanu who must sacrifice everything she has dreamed of. 

Orphan Boy- Curiosity

Is curiosity good or bad? In the story of Orphan boy, it speaks of an old man who comes across a lonely small boy named Kileken who has special powers.

During the drought, the cattles were well fed by the boy. Thus the old man was

curious. But Kileken said "you must never seek to know... discover my secret will be the end of your good fortune." But the old man was overwhelmed with curiosity. 

He discovered Kileken's secret and Kileken "exploded into a star." The old man knew he had abused the boy's trust. True enough the old man returned to his lonely and poor life. Is it really that important to always know the truth? I guess in the old man's case, it's not.

My Name

My name, like most chinese names has three characters (李毅凱). The first character is my family name which is Lee (李). It is made up of two other chinese characters, that is, wood（木） on son（子). It doesn't really have a meaning. But this surname was a royal surname from the Tang Dynasty. The middle character which is Yi, meaning perseverence in everything I do. The third character is Khai（凱), which means victory. This word is taken from a chinese noun: kai xuan（凱旋). Kai xuan are songs which was sung after a victorious war. In chinese names, besides the surname, the next most important name is the third name. My second name Khai was actually taken from my grandfather's second name. This is to create a relationship between us. My grandmother and parents also put in a lot of effort to give me this name. Why do I say that? This is because they have to calculate every strokes and make sure it matches my birth date. The chinese believe that this name would bring me luck for the rest of my life. So far, my name seems to be working as I'm feeling really happy and lucky.

Common Elements in Creation Myths

Myths come from all around the world. Although they emerged from different cultures, they all leave the same common factors which makes creation myths so great. The mythical supreme being forms the land, from nothing to something. For example in the Chinese myth, it speaks of a dragon called Pan Gu who molded the land with his bare hands. He died 18,000 years later but the world was still incomplete. There was no life. But following his death, the half dron goddess came to the world that Pan Gu created. Picking up the clay, she molded a creature with a pair of arms and a pair of legs. Thus began the human race. Another myth that emerged from a different culture is the native American myth which mentioned about Skywoman falling through a hole caused by the uprooted tree in heaven. She landed on a giant turtle that formed the land and there she gave birth to the first human. Thus besides common factors about a supreme being and creation of earth from nothing to something, another common factor is mentioning of an animal and human being. Although there is a difference in culture, however, in the myths, we can still see common factors in the creation myths which speaks of the beginning of the world.

The Departure of Ceyx

probably

about 1502-7, Vittore Carpaccio

“Those that live must die, passing through nature to eternity.” – William Shakespeare

This panel, which appears to have been cut down, illustrates the story of Alcyone from Ovid's 'Metamorphoses' (XI: 410-748). Ceyx's departure to consult the oracle of the god at Claros was delayed by his devoted wife Alcyone, who had foreseen a stormy sea and winds. A companion panel in the Philadelphia Museum of Art shows the body of Ceyx (who reluctantly set off despite his wife's protestations and whose ship was destroyed in a storm as predicted) being carried back to Alcyone upon the waves. When she recognised her husband's body, Alcyone hurled herself into the sea. The unfortunate pair were transformed by a pitying god into birds, which are shown on the left of the Philadelphia panel.