Reframing

Original on bottom, modified on top.

I cropped Helen Frankenthaler's image in a way that personifies, or anthropomorphizes the image in the center. By reframing the image in a slightly tighter view, the audience's attention is immediately grabbed by the warm splash of orange that lies on the left imaginary vertical line and in between the two imaginary horizontal lines that outline the rule of thirds. The space in front of the orange splash acts at nose room, that further personifies the splash as a sort of head. Also, by cropping the image down and omitting the right side of the frame, the image becomes flatter without the contrast of the blue edge and the faded pink. The flatness of the image helps focus the audience's attention on the subject; the flatness makes the picture feel like a portrait.

The line that runs from the bottom right to the middle of the portrait is the essential connector between the other bits of color in the center of the frame, it acts like a backbone that provides structure. It is a very dynamic line, especially when compared to the relatively flat line of the blue floor. Because this line is dynamic, it provides visual movement that guides the eye up and forward, giving the impression that the figure may be flying over the surface of some water.

Given the anthropomorphized nature of the subject in the middle of the picture, there could be some tension to the picture, especially when considering the graphic weight (visual rhythm)? of the objects in frame. The two largest, warmest splashes of color are supported precariously by a very small graphic object, an almost line, that may or may not be anchored to something big enough to support it's load. If the orange is a head and the red/pink is flesh on a backbone, the audience feels tension, because it seems like the figure it going to fall over into the water.