Lesson 15: Study the Masters

The meaning of Night Watch is still debated to this day.

Reading Photos

Let’s look at some images from artists renowned in their chosen medium. I want you to analyze each image as a standalone story. Try and read the setting, decor, lighting, and space to determine what is happening in the image. For some of these, you may already have some background information on them. If that’s the case, notice the elements on mise-en-scène and how they affirm what you already know about the story being told.

How to interact with this section:

Study the image through the lens of mise-en-scène
Identify what the story is, and what clues in the image brought you there
Think about the leading questions presented to guide your thinking
Go to the bottom of the page to reveal the story and compare to your interpretations

Number One

Number Two

Number Three

Number Four

Number Five

If you're ready to compare your interpretations, scroll down.

Number One:

Josef Koudelka - 1968 Warsaw Pact Invasion

Taken the minute the Russians invaded Prague, Koudelka marks the moment with his watch. The scene is over the famed Václavské náměstí. Some clues from the setting are the recognizable museum in the background, and older cars. Decor like Koudelka’s watch help us to have sense of the time. If you’re not familiar with Prague, specifically, you can still use the architecture to try and narrow down the location, or part of the world. Read more about this image, and see the entire set here on Magnum Photos.

Number Two:

Dorethea Lange - Migrant Mother (1936)

Between the pained expression of the mother, the tattered clothing, and the haphazard haircuts, you can ascertain that these people are in a dire situation. Look closer, and you’ll notice they are seated beneath canvas, and not in a brick or wooden home. With some historical knowledge you can guess that the photo was probably taken during a difficult time in history, more specifically the Great Depression in the United States. Read more about this image.

Number Three:

Vivian Maier - December 21, 1961. Chicago, IL

The decor and clothing do a lot of the heavy lifting here, as far as clues of story go. Looking at the clothing, we can guess this is sometime in the mid-century. The police uniforms say city of Chicago on them. The people on line are carrying packages and are bundled up, making it a safe guess that it’s sometime around Christmas time. The person on the ground is surrounded by onlookers and police, but there’s no single person who seems completely devastated by their fall, leading us to think maybe they were in this place alone. More of Vivian Maier can be seen here.

Number Four:

Jacques-Louis David - The Death of Marat (1793)

This oil painting tells the story of the assassination of Jean-Paul Marat, a radical activist of the French Revolution. Britannica can do a better job than myself explaining the history, so head over there and read about the painting and compare it to your interpretation.

Number Five:

Wes Anderson - The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

There’s a lot happening in this still from (one of my favorite movies) The Darjeeling Limited. Let’s start with the setting - where are they? Looking at the ‘room’ you’ll see metal paneling, and bars on a tiny window. There’s also a small call box. We can assume this is a train from these clues. The orange colors, tiger, bindis on the men, and framed photo lead us to India. Going off India, we can say the men are tourists. Their dress is quite formal for the setting, and give us some ideas of their social status. Now look at their proximity to each other. They’re sitting right on top of each other, which alludes to a closeness or familiarity. But, their expressions are that of discontent leading us to believe that they may know each other well, but maybe are unhappy with their situation.

I’ll say no more on the matter as you should just watch the movie, and I don’t want to give any more away.