OPTIC PHOTO ANALYSIS

OPTIC• It’s an acronym and a method for

analyzing images! • Overview• Parts• Title• Images/Interrelationships• Conclusion

The Holocaust Memorial Center presents a series of paintings by Samuel Pruchno, a survivor of the Holocaust. The image above is a detail from Mr. Pruchno’s “Roll Call,” when the Nazi captors would demand a physical accounting of each inmate.

OVERVIEW

• Describe what you see: write one sentence describing anything recognizable and its purpose in the visual. Include information about the category (painting, photograph, poster, advertisement, etc), the period (era) of the setting, and anything that is occurring.EX: The painting above portrays the physical roll call

which would occur frequently in the concentration camps during WWII; individuals would be made to stand in straight lines for any given length of time while everyone was accounted for.

PARTSParts Color(s) Placement Attitude Size

   Rows of prisoners

  blue uniforms  14 groupings of several rows

 standing straight, all uniform, hard to see faces

 very small, viewed as groups rather than individuals

 SS Guards

 in green uniforms, long coats

 individuals scattered around the perimeter

 official, important

Small, but easier to identify

 Barbed Wire/Electric Fence

 white, silver  placed around the area of the prison yard

 seems to be preventing escape

 due to angle of painting, only bits seen

TITLE

“Roll Call,” taken by Samuel Pruchno, a survivor of the Holocaust. The image above is a detail from Mr. Pruchno’s “Roll Call,” when the Nazi captors would demand a physical accounting of each inmate.

IMAGES/INTERRELATIONSHIPSDetermine the relationships between parts. What are

the relationships between the images? In other words, how the parts are related, both to one another and the image as a whole. Consider how the parts come together to create a mood or convey an idea or argument.

Captivity Perseverence

SS guards hold power over prisoners in blue uniforms

Prisoners in blue remain in erect positions

Barbed wire surrounding perimeter holds prisoners within the camp, preventing and deterring escape

Little blatant interaction among the guards and prisoners

CONCLUSION• Write a conclusion paragraph about the image as a whole:

think about what the artist, photographer, creator, or designer might be trying to capture and convey, and what ideas, arguments, or implications this image presents.• EX: As a survivor of the Holocaust himself, Samuel Pruchno

manages to portray one of the most commonly referred to instances of life in a concentration camp: the roll call. Prisoners would be awoken at any hour of the morning/night and lined up in straight, uniform lines, such as those depicted in the painting. Inmates would remain in an erect position for as long as it took SS guards to physically account for all bodies, dead or alive. Barbed wire fences surrounded the perimeter of the prison yard to prevent prisoners from escape.

The Experimental Injection by David Olère. A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, New York.The infamous Dr. Mengele administers an injection as terrified prisoners look on.

OPTIC