Response to Loretta Lux's "Paulin"

“Paulin” appears very disturbing at first glance; I’m sure this is due to my experience watching horror movies featuring young children that look like this. I noticed the young girl’s sad, almost morbid expression almost immediately.  The little girl looks so little and frail in the desolate landscape. The colors of the photograph contribute to this theme. The pastels look emotionless and depressing, which is exactly the look the artist was going for. The texture of the shells under her body is shown in this photograph; it’s almost as if the background of the image is simply a two dimensional backdrop and the sandy ground is the only three dimensional aspect. Everything in this photograph lends itself to its provocative nature. Audience members want to know the story behind the little girl. Why is she so upset? What places her there alone on the beach?

The artist creates her images by using both photography and digital manipulation programs. The audience can tell that the little girl is placed into this created scene and was not shot there naturally. However, Lux does this flawlessly. The subject’s head looks remarkably larger than the rest of her body, which only adds more questions to the mix. She’s a very unusual looking child. The subject is placed in the center of the image so it’s balanced. There is certain clarity to the image; the subtle shading in the sky behind her is the only thing not completely clear to the naked eye.