Ensnared, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Seventeen: Memories in Metal and Stone: How monuments, sculpture, and tombs express ideas. > Ensnared, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005

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27-OCT-2005

Ensnared, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, 2005

Ignacio Allende, who led San Miguel’s town-folk in rebellion against their Spanish rulers in 1810, perished in the effort, but in the process, he had his name appended to the name of the town. I photographed this statue of Allende as a close-up because it was contained in a screen of wire mesh. It is actually a protective device, but it can also represent a young man seemingly trapped in a web of intrigue and politics. The incongruity of a statue caught in such a web creates a statement based on human values.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/250s f/5.6 at 55.4mm iso80 hide exif

Full EXIF Info
Date/Time	27-Oct-2005 19:43:47
Make	Panasonic
Model	DMC-FZ30
Flash Used	No
Focal Length	55.4 mm
Exposure Time	1/250 sec
Aperture	f/5.6
ISO Equivalent	80
Exposure Bias	-0.33
White Balance	(10)
Metering Mode	multi spot (3)
JPEG Quality	(6)
Exposure Program	program (2)
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		27-Dec-2005 00:35
Thanks, Lara -- you are right As I mentioned to Zara, the net is why I made the image. I am always looking for incongruous details that tell a story, and this one does just that.

Lara S		27-Dec-2005 00:10
I had the feeling of him being trapped when I first looked at it, and I didn't like it. I almost went to the next picture. what a difference one little addition does to the image.

Phil Douglis		22-Dec-2005 18:27
Thank you, Zara for this comment. The net was the expressive point of the image -- otherwise it is only a descriptive study of a statue. To make a monument "live" I try to add something that either abstracts it or makes it somewhat incongruous. In this case, it's the incongruity that makes the image function as expression.

Guest		22-Dec-2005 14:04
The net. The net adds strength to an already strong image. Great work.

Phil Douglis		04-Dec-2005 23:24
I am so glad to see you back in my galleries, Dandan. Welcome home. And yes, this image could be looked in a universal context as well as an historical context.

Guest		04-Dec-2005 10:53
Phil, I see limitation and hope for the future in this image. The statue could represents any one of us, the net represent the limitations around us and bother us everyday… However, there is hope, from his eyes…we can see the future…

Phil Douglis		23-Nov-2005 23:12
Thank you, Jeff, for adding your thoughts on this image to Robbie's. When I compose a picture I make sure every detail belongs there to help me tell the story I want to tell. That white ribbon that distracts you, for example, helps secure the net that ensnares him, and thus adds context to the image. And so I make sure to include it in the composition. Everyone will look at images differently, depending upon the context they bring to it. And when that context changes, as yours did here once you saw the title and read the words, you saw the image with new eyes. That's the way it works.

Guest		23-Nov-2005 22:51
Knowing the meaning helps understand the composition choice. The title is the first clue. When I look at this, I do have an uncomfortable feeling, like being trapped. Still, I think aesthetics do count for something - I was distracted by the white ribbon (?) to the right above his head. Regardless, a very powerful and thought-provoking image.

Phil Douglis		12-Nov-2005 20:01
Thanks, Robbie D70, for this comment. I can see why you might feel that the arch curving behind his head is a distraction. However I thought it enhanced the feeling of entrapment, which is what the picture is all about. You are looking at this composition from a purely aesthetic standpoint. While I am composing with a particular idea in mind. I am very careful about relating my subjects to backgrounds. If I had "nicely framed" him as you suggested, the tension and feeling of entrapment would be less. Hope this will help you understand why I compose my images as I do. I always keep expression in mind. I put the content -- the idea I am expressing -- ahead of form. As the great architect Louis Sullivan once said, "Form ever follows function."

Robbie D70		12-Nov-2005 16:06
This for me is very interesting , I like the shot a lot. The white/grey statue against the red/brown walls is great and i understand the mesh feelings. I admire lots of your work and feel you are brilliant at photography. Heres the but ! Its the position of the head with the line behind its so distracting . Moving to the right just a little to take the pic would of been better and framed nicely.Great shot anyway .

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