09 Jan – 2,500 words (approximately 9–10 pages); all four margins of 1 inch (2.54 cm); double-spaced;
– 2,500 words (approximately 9–10 pages); all four margins of 1 inch (2.54 cm); double-spaced;
paginated; Times New Roman typeface; 12-point font.
– Punctuation, footnotes, and bibliography must follow either the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th
edition, or the MLA Handbook, 8th edition.
– Cover page as instructed for the Synopsis submission above.
1 Analysis: Closely examine the visual—and textual, if any—properties of the chosen work.
2. Literature Review: Scrutinize at least three scholarly publications available on or relevant to the subject. These can be from your previously submitted bibliography or newly found sources or a mix of both. Again, online sources listed above cannot be referenced in your paper.
3. Argument: State your original argument in a clear manner and buttress it objectively by synthesizing your visual analysis and literature review. The argument has to do with one of the weekly themes of the course, as declared in your synopsis.
Edward Weston, Pepper No. 30, 1930 Black&White Photography
Pepper No. 30 is a black and white photo with a gray tint, one of the most famous photos taken
by Edward Weston. Weston used his Ansco 8×10 Commercial View camera and Zeiss 21 cm to
take this photo. He put the green peppers in a tin can and repeatedly photographed. The pepper
Pepper No. 30 uses simple but extremely sharp focus, and extremely precise and subtle
exposure, to fully express the smoothness and delicateness of the outer skin of the green pepper
and a small pattern, full of strong texture. The reason why I’m attracted to this specific work is
that it is classic, satisfactory pepper, but not just pepper, it has a lot of abstract forms.
When I saw Pepper No. 30 for the first time, I didn’t have too many thoughts. All I saw
was an ordinary green pepper with a strange shape. But when I feel the intuitive feelings and
associations it brings to me and the phenomenological connection, it makes me interested, which
is another aspect of why it attracts me. Pepper No. 30 brings different feelings to the audience.
Everyone has a different understanding of phenomena based on the basics of phenomenology.
Phenomena is a are reflections [phenomenon singular; phenomena plural] of objective things in
our brains. Just like this pepper, the light shines on the pepper and reflects in our eyes, so we see
the phenomenon of the green pepper as an objective thing. Although its phenomenon makes the
audience have wild ideas, its essence is a pepper, which is very interesting.
Phenomenon, our usual understanding comes from what we see and hear from our senses.
For example, seeing the time change of a clock is a phenomenon, and seeing a flower change
from luxuriant to withered is also a phenomenon. But the phenomenon in phenomenology is not
the phenomenon of natural and social phenomena. The phenomenon of phenomenology is what
appears in our consciousness. The Pepper No. 30 by the photographer Edward Weston is a
classic. This photo allows viewers to use their imagination. Some people feel like a couple
hugging each other, and some feel like a man’s sturdy back. The photograph uses the
“personification” technique in literature, and the photographer creates the image association of
the “human” corresponding to the object by shaping the form of the object. For phenomenology,
what matters is not whether the viewer believes that the picture depicts their subject, but whether
the viewer experiences the picture as depicting the subject. Although Weston’s subject is an
ordinary pepper, the photographer’s emotional projection and artistic performance give the
audience a deeper cognitive experience.
Weston’s photo is a good topic for exploring the relationship between photography and
phenomenology. This is one of the most important reasons why I chose this image. After
researching, I found that photography is a very good medium for understanding phenomenology.
Photography is intuitive and visual. The phenomena in phenomenology are things that are
presented in our consciousness. As a medium, photography presents the essence of things by
taking photos. The audience can intuitively feel the phenomena presented in their consciousness.
Therefore, phenomenologically speaking, photos have a unique ability that allows us to get close
to what they photograph. In further research, I will discuss the connection between phenomena
and essence on the photographic level.
Finally, I have a question. When the artist created this work, did he want to express
phenomenological phenomena reflected through photography? Or is photography related to the
phenomenon only discovered later through the reaction of the audience? Many years after this
work appeared, Weston talked about the lasting impact of his photos of peppers. According to the
audience’s psychological state, he got a lot of fun from people’s discoveries. The audience found
vulva, sexual intercourse, wrestlers, modern sculptures, and African sculptures in Pepper No. 30.
I saw the connection between this work and the phenomenon from the audience’s reaction.
Photography can be a bridge to reflect the fundamentals of phenomenology, and photographic
works can also present appearances. This question inspired further research into the weekly topic
of the course. The relationship between phenomenology and photography will also be my further
research.
