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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Forty-Seven: How using words in pictures can expand meaning > Murdered, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico, 2007
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11-NOV-2007

Murdered, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, New Mexico, 2007

While exploring the ruins of ancient Chaco, I found a small cemetery holding the grave of Richard Wetherell, a controversial figure in the history of the Southwest. He spent much of his life exploring the region, excavating sites, and selling artifacts. (Wetherell was one of the two cowboys who discovered The Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde.) Complaints from archeologists halted his activities and led to the creation of the first US law protecting antiquities. Wetherell continued to operate a trading post at Chaco, until he was shot and killed by a Navajo in 1910. He never left this place -- his bones rest under this stone. An amateur, probably someone who knew Wetherell, inscribes the words on that tombstone. The crudeness of the lettering, dimly seen through the shadows, adds a feeling of authenticity to the image.

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Phil Douglis01-Dec-2007 21:38
Tight framing is both my trademark and my curse. I instinctively hone in on my subjects to seek their essence. And sometimes I can be a bit too ruthless in my viewfinder crop. I keep telling myself to leave extra space and crop later, if need be. But I seldom remember to heed my own advice. In this case, however, the tight viewfinder crop is exactly what this image calls for. Cropping is a form of abstraction. What we take out is left to the imagination of the viewer. And in this case, I am relying heavily on that imagination. Thanks, Chris, for mentioning the tight framing.
Chris Sofopoulos01-Dec-2007 13:11
I like how you tightly framed your theme here Phil.
To be more specific, I like how you used on the right part the plants and on the left the tiles.
Phil Douglis27-Nov-2007 19:17
Thank you, Vera, for bringing up the role of the words here. That is why I put this particular gallery together, and why I made this image and why I wrote the title and the caption the way I did. I wanted the picture to tell its story and the words to tell its story, and to let the violent end of Richard Wetherell speak for itself. I am a journalist by training. I use words and pictures to tell my stories. One always benefits from the other. And you are right about the shadowy light. It does speak of age and time and mystery. All play a role in meaning here.
Guest 27-Nov-2007 13:06
I like the lighting. Without turning the picture into a sepia one to give it an aged feeling, the lighting does that for us. Your word "murdered" in the caption tell a very different story that the "died" on the headstone. Even then, the violence of the death was left unspoken. Your journalistic touch tells the true story.
Vera
Phil Douglis23-Nov-2007 05:24
And that is exactly why this image is in this gallery. It depends on the words in the picture and the words in the caption for its message. If this page were to be read by a non-English speaker, the image would be an exercise in aesthetics. But with an understanding of the words, those same aesthetics become a catalyst for an expressive image. Together, they tell a memorable story.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey23-Nov-2007 03:32
What an eye you have to have found this "gravestone" and how helpful that you knew Wetherell's history . Yes, the words in the photo coupled with your commentary give the necessary context for viewers to fully appreciate this image. Without it we would have merely thougt this a quaint shot.
Phil Douglis19-Nov-2007 02:51
Thanks, BJ -- I found it eerie and fascinating. There are only a few graves in this tiny cemetery, and this is its largest headstone.
Bryan Ramsay19-Nov-2007 00:06
Interesting shot!! -BJ
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