Graciela Iturbide "No Title"
1972, Silver Gelatin Print
I selected this image because I have lost people close to me due to drinking and/or smoking. Many of them being immediate family. When I first saw the photograph I instantly thought of my lost loved ones. Drinking and smoking are two very unhealthy habits that can lead to death. With the shot glass on the table and a cigarette in one hand, I see her to represent death. I also believe she could be facing death herself instead of being it. The distress on her face when confronted with death as a soon to be victim. The skull in the background represents nothing but death with "RIP" written above a grave inside the skeleton's nose. The eyes also seeing nothing but death as it displays what looks like to be people on their deathbed.
Undergoing further research I learned that Graciela Iturbide's mentor was named Manuel Alvarez Bravo, who was known for his "poetic" images of Mexican people and places. He was also apart of the artistic renaissance that happened after the Mexican Revolution. What I learned was despite not titling this photograph, it was apart of her series called "Hay Tiempo" which translates to "there is time." This was a practice that her mentor taught her who "urged her to slow down, observe, and patiently wait for the right moment to release the shutter." I found this to be fascinating as she continued to carry on her mentors legacy throughout her own work as well.
