A Case of A Vase

chinese vase

I can't figure out what "A Case of A Vase" has to do with this picture, but the picture itself is very interesting. It's enigmatic, which I love in a photo. Whose blood covers the man? Is he the victim or the perpetrator? We realize on closer examination that the background is tilted, so the man is leaning off to the side. Falling? Recoiling in horror? And what is that on his right arm? The expression on the face is excellent, with a perfect perspective to emphasize his scream or cry. The picture gets a lot of energy from the twist of the body and the position of the arms. The pose strikes me as something you'd see as an anatomy study in an sketchbook from one of the old masters: very exaggerated and dynamic. The color, that sickly streetlight yellow, normally grates on my nerves, but here it suits the picture perfectly and works very well. All-in-all, a fantastic job.