Picturebook Critique

Telayah Sturdivant is the artist of this Photobook. The book, titled Indulgence, depicts a model in positions that we associate with watching television. For example, in one we see the subject reaching for a snack from a crinkled bag; in another, the viewer sees only the model's profile, and a blue light reflected in his eye. There are eight, color images included.

The cover that Telayah chose to harvest is red and marbled, with a smooth, hard texture. The title is imprinted in gold lettering; it reads "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth." This is is written simply, with a print-like font and vertical, rather than slant, letters. Furthermore, this block of text is just off center, ending closer to the right edge, although aligned with the left margin. The photographs inside share similar, warm colors, especially in the light illuminating the subject's skin. We also see flowing lines and soft, organic shapes as in the subject's body. These elements create a cohesive atmosphere, one reinforced by the textures repeated in the subject's clothes and the afghan seen in the second image. I think that Telayah made these artistic choices to emphasize the essence of a human body: its aliveness, but also it vulnerability, so that it contrast more sharply with the manufactured subjects that we also see within the frame. This pattern unifies the images as a series: the play between the blue reflection of a television on skin, the rigidity of hard plastic and the hand that holds this remote.

I think that Telayah has lent a common activity an unusual significance in her depiction. Watching television is a choice, and as she accurately writes, an indulgent one. In these images, however, there seems a curious and purposeful lack of delight; the title on the cover becomes ironic. The subject has been ensnared by this promise, he is trapped in a 'Paradise on Earth,' and seems unwilling to regain his freedom or his humanity. We might support this interpretation with the contrast between the colors and textures that surround the model and those we associate with the television. Moreover, the distorted angles and disjointed body parts remind the viewer that the model's attention lies outside of the frame, inviting our own to follow. For example, in the sixth image, the lower half of the model's face is framed; it is clear that he is uninterested in the camera, thus allowing the television to dominate the photograph although it is not included.

Here is a photograph of Telayah's Picturebook.