Blog assignment 5a

     The image that I’ve chosen to re-frame for this assignment is a painting by Salvador Dali.  The image depicts a naked man holding a cross up to a giant army of animals.  What drew to this image were its colors, its distinct style, and its religious subtext of the ability of faith to overpower anything.  This subtext is further supported exemplified by the contrast of the man' lack of possessions or riches to the golden castles towering above him. I also liked how Dali effectively showed deep space in the painting by manipulating the color of the sky in the background and the size of the animals’ legs.   There is also a focus of visual intensity on the golden castle that sits on the elephants back.  This is displayed simply by using brighter colors.  But its not just the colors that put the focus on the castle, it is also the use of linear vertical lines.  The long legs of the animals all converge on the bright golden castle, drawing the viewer’s eyes to the castle.  The other main object of focus is the naked man holding the cross.  The focus is put on him through the use of virtual lines.  The animals are all staring at him, and their line of sight is causing the viewer to look at the man and notice that he is in danger.  But the man's use of faith, as symbolized by his cross, causes the animals to hold back, which can be seen by the lines below the horses hooves which imply that the horse is stop its forward movement.  
     I chose to frame the image the way I did to give the picture a different meaning.  By taking the animals out of the frame, the new image appears to just be the man and God.  I wanted to show a man with absolutely nothing, all alone in the desert, still having his faith in God.  I used the rule of thirds to imply that the man is speaking to the heavens.  
     I believe that Dali framed the original image the way that he did because he wanted to show a giant surrounding environment.  The depth of the background and the clouds following the elephants give the painting a much darker feel, which just makes the mans bravery seem even more impressive.