Visual Vs Visual

On July 11, 1995, near the end of the Bosnian war, more than eight thousand Muslim men and young boys were slaughtered by Bosnian Serb soldiers who stormed into Srebrenica, a UN designated “safe haven.”(Taylor, "20 Years Since the Srebrenica Massacre.").A picture of a young boy playing on a tank surrounded by the ruins of the destroyed city was taken about a year after the massacre. This picture was taken in the same area of where the bloodbath took place. This image of a child playing on a tank uses complex hierarchy to show the resiliency of children in harsh situations. This is accomplished through the use of contrasting colors and dominance to give some images more significance than others. This picture depicts a playful child trying to
Towards the right of the picture in the background there are some buildings in ruins. These buildings stand very close together and they form lines that lead off into the distance. Between the lines of buildings, two spaces are formed and form two old roads that split off and create two separate paths. These two lines created by roads show that the world has hit a fork in the road and both paths lead to more destruction because of all of the conflict and war that are involved in human life. In addition to the lines formed by the buildings and roads, the barrel of the tank points out to the right as if to point into the future. The other line in this photograph is created by the barrel of the tank and points out that even though the child’s future may contain more pain and misery he will endure and continue to live life with a smile on his face. The children will continue to be playful and enjoy their childhoods just as they always
This is significant because children are often erased from the forethought of adult’s minds during the chaos and disorder involved in warfare; however, even when forgotten children endure and continue to act as children often do and they live out their childhood filled with much laughter and fun. This photograph uses visual elements such as lines, shapes, typography, texture, and form. In addition to the visual elements this photograph also has some visual principles like unity, space, hierarchy, balance, contrast, dominance, and similarity. Because of these visual elements and principles highlighting different parts of the photograph, the photo is able to convey a message that children can and will endure the tough times that come with warfare and continue to live out their childhood while experiencing the same joy and happiness that children living in more hospitable conditions