Anatomy of Reading: Being with books according to Setonji Akran's artistic concept
In the era when we are distracted and tend to perform several actions at once, the artistic work called The Anatomy of Reading created by Setonji Akran is the best
In the era when we are distracted and tend to perform several actions at once, the artistic work called The Anatomy of Reading created by Setonji Akran is the best way to draw attention to the role of books in our lives. Unlike showing the act of reading in the usual way, the author creates a series of images, illustrating reading as a special experience. Using the most simple images possible, Akran succeeds in transforming the objects into something more.
What attracts my attention is the extreme simplicity of The Anatomy of Reading. Even though the compositions used by the author are rather sophisticated, they can be described as quite obvious, which means that their messages are quite clear. That is why each picture shows the single topic of the artwork.
Starting the series, Akran sets the main tone for it in the first picture called Surrounded by Pages. Just like all the other pictures from the series, this composition illustrates a subject surrounded by opened books, which makes the reader realize that this is what The Anatomy of Reading is going to be devoted to. At the same time, the author manages to create the atmosphere of meditation, as if the reader found himself in a different world.
Secondly, the following image called The Book as a Shield can be considered quite successful because of its simplicity. Indeed, the composition of this painting shows a subject holding the opened book with both hands and thus creating a protective isolation zone around him, which separates him from the rest of the world. In spite of its obviousness, this idea fits the series because of being a great element of reading.
Standing on Foundations is another great piece of art created by Akran, where he again manages to use the image of a book as the basis of people's life. The main feature of this painting is the extreme physicality, which helps the reader understand how difficult it is for a person to stand on such a high pile of books. Of course, it is necessary to develop this idea better.
Talking about the next image entitled Weight of the Written Word, it is necessary to emphasize another aspect of reading, the necessity of its significance for personal identity development. In this painting, the combination of the opened book with an enormous amount of literature shows the heaviness of reading and the necessity to stand higher than other people. In this case, Akran should pay attention to the emotion of the subject.
Consuming Texts becomes another good illustration for the artist's idea of reading thanks to his use of the metaphor connected with the notion of hunger. By combining this metaphor with the use of silverware, the author makes the image ironic and relatable at the same time. The problem lies in the fact that there is nothing else to add since this metaphor is already quite strong.
Finally, one of the last photographs of this series is entitled Lenses of Interpretation. In other words, this image draws attention to the need to interpret texts while reading. It is necessary to say that The Anatomy of Reading can be considered quite a successful artistic work. Illustrating the subject of reading, the artist succeeds not only in showing its significance, but also in depicting the influence of it on people's lives.
