In her senior thesis photography show, Eli Oakes '07 challenges us to think twice about what we do every day. She photographed the citizens of Cragsmoor, N.Y., a small town she visited every weekend when she was young until her grandfather passed away. Before her return this year, Oakes had not been there in a decade. The exhibit documents the difference between the town frozen in her memories and the one home to new, unfamiliar houses.
Oakes starts the show with a photo of a bed, its brown comforter wrinkled. While the technical skill of this photograph is not as pronounced as it is in her other works, the piece highlights the profound in the mundane. Through her photos, we are transported into the world of Cragsmoor. The men in these stills could be our uncles coming home for dinner or our grandfathers retiring for the night.
While she maintains a certain distance from her subjects, we are consistently reminded that Oakes did not choose just any town. Her late grandfather's poems are mounted between selected photos, and the result is an easily accessible, but deeply personal, artistic journey.
Oakes' photos grant the viewer his or her own artistic license. Her photos capture the visitor's attention without mandating a specific interpretation.
Her greatest strength is her ability to avoid the temptation to photograph the beautiful landscape, but instead, as she puts it, to focus on the "houses and their inhabitants." In one photo, she captures the view through the window of a house. While the external scene — the snow and a tall tree — is barely distinguishable, the plants in the windowsill are vibrantly in focus.
Most of Oakes' photos show everyday objects that are rarely appreciated. A photograph of a stove evokes the image of the many mouths it has fed over the years.
Oakes' mastery of the technical skills of digital photography is just as impressive as her control of the content. She uses mirrors, windows and shadows especially well: In one photo, she takes a shot of a mirror that reflects a lamp, next to a store-bought portrait of flowers, shadowed by the outline of a window curtain. This intricate display demonstrates the technical skill that is apparent throughout her work.
Oakes also showcases her eye for balance and symmetry, though occasionally her focus on photographic skills detracts from meaning. Nevertheless, her message remains clear long after one leaves the exhibit: The everyday aspects of Cragsmoor can spark profound resonance for us all.
Eleanor Oakes
Thesis Photo Show
The Lucas Gallery
Pros:
Focus on everyday beauty.Cons:
Technical skill occasionally overshadowed content.Read More
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