Keith Negley's
illustration was for the New York Times' Book Review which was on Michael
McGriff's book of poems called 'Home Burial'. The poems look at a series of
different characters who have come to a low point in their lives, are facing
problems at home or work, or are in a moral dilemma. They hold a rather
depressing and bleak atmosphere about them which I think has been
illustrated well by Negley.
The illustration
is of two figures, one lying in the bath and one sprawled across the floor, but
it has been composed so that the figure on the floor has their face covered by
the shower curtain, drawing attention to the anxious expression on the second
figure's face. This suggests that this character has something on his mind,
that maybe he has done something wrong or made a mistake and is now stressing
over what action to take next. This idea is supported by
the denotative qualities of his body language, he is clenching his
arms around his chest which implies fear, as if he is looking for comfort in
himself.
The body language
of the second figure adds to this, as he is sprawled across the floor, which in
itself is unusual as it is not comfortable, which suggests he is not there by
choice. We cannot see this characters face which immediately cuts off any
connection with him and the audience, and there is a pool of red around where
the head would be which has many connotations in itself. The colour red is
often symbolic for blood, which then connotes death to the audience. Having the
place of injury covered and just showing blood is a more subtle method of
implying death without having to show grotesque imagery.
The colour scheme
very much aids in the sombre tone of the illustration, the colour blue
often connotes cold, death, clinical and depression. This all begins to tell
the story behind the image, the use of different symbols implies that the
figure in the bath has killed the second figure, and is now realising he has made
a mistake. The location of the scene adds to this, as bathrooms are rather cold
and uncomfortable, yet this character is trying to find comfort here, laying in
a bath attempting to create a barrier between him and the corpse, to
lock himself away in the bath tub. The illustration initially seems like there
is not a lot happening, but through deeper analysis of the different symbols
and use of semiotics, a story begins to unfold.
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