John Pfahl- Triangle Bermuda

The lines that are used in this photograph are very straight forward and lead the focus to the center of the frame—an enormous rock that is sticking out of the inviting and cool blue water. The shapes of the waves are very organic and brings a sense of calm to the photo. The rock however can not be disregarded and constantly calls for my attention. Even though the rock has a naturalistic element to it, the shape is more geometrical and protrudes out of the water, like a shark’s fin almost, calling out to be noticed. This two dimensional photograph is equally balanced and the 2 points or angles rather in the sand that disappear into the shore give a feeling of implied depth. The white washed wave is caught in a moment before it crashes on the sandy yellow beach that can still be viewed from above the water in certain shallow pockets. It is a sunny day and the sand reflects the sun’s rays but doesn’t blindly overpower the bottom half of the photo. The white tips of the wave are repeated by the fluffy white clouds on the top of the photo that are clearly viewable amidst the blue sky. The graduation of blue gets deeper as we look to the inviting turquoise water. However the emphasis is a the area


There is absolute unity in this photo. The tension is brought about by the underlying meaning of the title: Triangle Bermuda is what really stirs my thoughts. There is an optical illusion that plays with our senses. The rope in reality is a box. But because of the slope of the shore and the focal point of the rock, there is the illusion of a triangle. Then all of a sudden th e rock conjures feelings of absence which emotionally is bothersome. The ocean is a place where I ceaselessly find solace and calmness and because Pfahl has stamped his artistic value on the landscape by adding a rope to give an illusion of a triangle that meets in the center focal point ( the rock) then my perception is heightened because of the triangle. As most of us know, the Bermuda Triangle is a place where ships and planes vanish and so the once calm and serene ocean landscape that it used to represent is a startling contrast to the feeling of being lost and in isolation. The artist is making me question my personal path in the present state because my perception is now fixated on the concept of what the Bermuda Triangle embodies—feelings of entrapment and sheer fear of being alone. Pretty heavy for a photograph that just looks like the beach with rope tied down to the sand huh? Wonderful and amazing work of art that I know will evoke my unconscious !