Itamar Freed has a wonderful sense of visual balance and composition. In the first portrait of the lady and the peacock he has found an amazing perspective in which all of the lighter, and brighter colors of the landscape frame or point to the subject. I enjoy seeing the bright yellows of the bushes on the left in comparison to the bright clay-colored orange rubble on the right. It seems Freed has even placed some bright yellow lemons on the ground to do this and i like how the yellow works against the bright blues and greens of the peacock and has me thinking about how blue and yellow combine to make green. Also in this image there is a bright clearing in the top left corner, which contrasts with the dark corner in the bottom right. What i also enjoy about this image is that there is a very interesting vanishing point on the horizon in the center of the image that is framed by the peacock's tail and the curved stick on the ground. In the second portrait i noticed this vanishing point in the center , framed again, and maybe even pointed this time by a flying bird and its beak. Also in this portrait we can see the man surrounded by the bright green colors of the bushes. What i also enjoy about this image is how the man's body is placed so that it looks like he is naturally a part of the tree. This is seen again in the third image as the woman looks like she is naturally part of the brush. Whats more, although the last portrait does not have a great depth or vanishing point it has some stunning contrast between the bright colors in the bottom corners. I also enjoyed the subtle red berries hanging from a branch at the top and pointing down at the two subjects.
I believe that Itamar Freed is playing with the idea of life and death, as birds are the intermediary between the earth and the sky. That's also why each portrait looks like a great mythical scene in nature. In the first portrait, the woman is holding what looks to be a dead peacock with an expression of discomfort. On the ground there is a skull on the left side and some bright yellow lemons on the right. I mentioned earlier how i was thinking about how blue and yellow combine to make green and i think that Freed's thematic intent was to show how the bird is also tied to the ground. Facing this idea of mortality, in something as free as a bird, may be why the woman looks so upset. In the second image there is an unconscious looking man being inspected by two crows. I mentioned earlier how the man looks like he has become part of the tree, almost like one of the tree's roots. Here i believe he is showing how humans are not immortal as they eventually become a part of the natural cycle as well. In the last image there looks to be a crane standing on top of an unconscious female body. Here I see a colorful natural bed but the color is not present under the body, where the crane is standing. This has med thinking along the lines of as if the bird has somehow drained the life out of the subject.
Freed's style is so mysteriously mesmerizing to me. I believe almost every picture can be broken down into compositional and conceptual intents. With Freed, there was definitely a lot of thought and effort put into these pictures, so much so even that i have trouble fully understanding his perspective, thoughts, and intents. That is the very thing i find most interesting though, that i find myself staring at these images, wanting to know more, to feel what the artist felt or truly wants me to feel.
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