Higher Exam - Pose

In your Higher Exam you can talk about the following areas of Pose to gain marks when analysing work.

• posture of subject

• standing, sitting, lying down

• facing the viewer, three-quarter view, side profile, facing away

• looking directly, looking up, looking down

• body language — message communicated

• effect on mood and atmosphere

• effect on visual impact 

The artist has cast the pose of the woman with the glasses in upright stance, clutching her briefcase. The pose is purposeful and serious with the figure ready for the daily grind, the squareness of her shoulders and slight swing to her left arm further gives the impression of purpose.

The broken paving stones under the upright figures secure them in place yet provides movement to the pose of all the figures as the paving is raised as if it has been pushed up from below and they are rising from below. 

The artist has cast the largest figure at the front with a slightly drooped pose which emphasises hardship or weariness. The open bag and hand grasping the stick tightly further clarifies this as they seem to using the stick for support. 

the artist has cast all of the figures facing the same way, they look like ordinary people on their way to work, this is perhaps a snapshot of their commute across the city, the artist has captured ordinary poses of different people the way they are rising is reminicent of people leaving a subway station.