Vivien and Merlin
This image was created as a book cover for Lord Alfred Tennyson's book Idylls of the King. The image is a tableau of a scene from the story. It shows Merlin being enchanted by a "harlot" named Vivien. In Tennyson's story, Vivien enchants Merlin by seducing him and using his own charm to imprison him to her. Merlin will appear dead to anyone else but her.
The image shows this specific scene in several ways, it includes in the background objects that Tennyson mentions in the story, such as the old hollow oak tree. The subject playing Merlin is also positioned to look as if he is in an unnatural trance. The subject who is playing Vivien also is positioned in a way that is very stereotypical of someone putting a spell on someone else.
Cameron uses both specific details from the story and commonly understood poses and expressions to help viewers understand the image as a tableau.
Jan Groover
Jan Groover's photographs are most often still life or landscape. A lot of what is interesting about her photographs are the abstract arrangements of her subjects.
For example, the several images of spoons and forks (all called Untitled) are easily recognizable as utensils, however the way that she has positioned these objects is very unfamiliar and creates abstract patterns within the negative and positive space. Her use of framing also adds to the abstractness because no whole utensil is shown within the frame, and it creates tension in the image.
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