Nurse the Hate: My Masterpiece

They say most great photographs are mistakes that have been shot instinctively.  I don’t know if that is true, but I shot this on pure instinct.  The second I shot it, I knew I had something important.  This photograph has been suggested by two independent critics as one of the finest photos of the new millennium.  They suggest this is as iconic as the Hindenburg, the WW2 victory kiss, or the moon landing.  I prefer to consider it only as art.  Much like a Renaissance painting, it tells a complete story in one image.  Let us analyze it as such.

You will note the man holding the garbage bag to his face.  He is our protagonist.  While at first one would think that this is simply a case of a man barfing into a garbage bag well after losing all muscle control, it is actually much more.  Even at a glimpse, one can tell that he has fallen numerous times on a Tuesday afternoon in full view of his co-workers.  He has become drunk beyond all possibility on a Tuesday afternoon.  His frailties exposed, his body betraying him at his moment of greatest need.  He represents man’s weakness.

The two figures standing above him with faces masked in confusion and wonder demonstrate more importance than just as his immediate supervisors.  No, these men clearly represent authority and man’s folly at attempting to control his environment.   Note the man in the green shirt with his cherubic face and extended hand suggesting innocence while the other man with his hand in his pocket suggests secrecy and treachery.  These men clearly represent the duality of law and order.

The empty space in the composition is important as well.  Note the long line and distance between the fallen man and the blonde haired woman.  She represents love and the feminine ideal.  The blonde hair represents earthly good, which contrasts with the drunken man’s darker hair.  Does this mean that the fallen man has distanced himself from love because he barfed all over Put-In-Bay and the ensuing ferry ride?  Perhaps.  Yet does it not also suggest that despite the current distance he has traveled from humanity, he still remains basically human, even though his shirt is now vomit drenched?

The blue lights framing the man obviously represent heaven and his being shut out from eternal bliss because of his frailties and weakness for earthly pleasures.  The cooler with handle reminds the viewer that each of us has a burden to carry if we want to distance ourselves from the Curses of the Damned.  It is only through earthly labor that we may enjoy the promise of eternal life as the half bottle of champagne in the blonde’s hand implies.  Though it is a journey all of us can make not all of us will, and thus we will be excluded from the promise of the future.  The difficulty of that journey is shown by the abandoned cooler and its corresponding position in the far end of the composition.  The red backpack is clearly suggesting death.

Most of all this epic work shows us God and his wisdom.  The sunlight streaming in from all sides show God’s ever present view and judgment.  It is interesting to note though the subject is close to the light (i.e. God’s grace) instead The Fallen Man dwells in the shadows where he barfs up his lamb burger and 17 beers.  Yet God’s grace shines down on the authority figures, a clear nod to the photographer’s patrons.

This is a work which demands repeated viewings and will bear increasing fruit to the viewer on each exposure.  It is a complex yet complete work.  I stand by it proudly.  Enjoy what may be my photographic masterpiece.