Museum Response

            Rule of thirds, contrast, value, and emphasis are some of the principles of art, however, there is no principle of art that can go into the thought behind the photograph.  In this photo, entitled, “Waiting for the Ice,” taken by Thomas D. Manglesen, three polar bears are shown out of what most people assume to be their native environment. Polar bears are rarely displayed with out snow or ice, much less no snow or ice. This photo exemplifies the nature of the polar bear to be more then just a frigid beast, but also a land dweller that longs to be on the ice once more.

            Walking around the museum at UAF I found many interesting photographs, some were shown on the English courses blog. These photos intrigued me, but not to the extent that raw nature does. I believe that nature is art and although it may be interesting to set up a photo, nature will provide the most interesting and true pictures to be taken.

            The polar bears in this picture appear to be a sow and two cubs. This is important because that is the way that bears are raised, with out a father. It is also interesting that the mother is highlighted, whether by natural cloud cover or post editing, it adds a emphasis to the mother wandering apart from her cubs, yet still able to see her children. This photo gives a sense of family and sibling love as the two cubs wander the beach together.

            The bears walk by the beach as if they were yearning to see the snow return so that they may once more do as they always do, hunt on the frozen seas. The green in the picture adds a sense of incongruence to what most people assume of the Northern most part of America. People assume that not only the North, but also all of Alaska is a frozen wasteland. On the contrary, Alaska is a place of great summer beauty and green tundra’s that flaunt values of all sorts of colors.

            “Waiting for the Ice” gives me a feeling of home. I have never lived on the North Slope, but it is part of my homeland. Juneau was once my home and I came into contact with bears regularly there so I feel a certain connection to bears. Also, being out of your native environment is something I can relate to. Which is something that I’m sure the polar bears are feeling in this picture.

            Every piece of art has endless meanings as the famous saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” demonstrates. This picture represents family, love, home and displacement to me. These may seem somewhat contradicting, but that is because you may not be able to see it through my eyes.