August 14, 1945: a day of victory and celebration for the Allied nations as the Japanese declare their long-awaited unconditional surrender. After more than half a decade of conflict, the announcement marking the end of the devastating war brought a sense of relief, happiness and triumph to America. On this day, hundreds of people took to the streets to celebrate the return of soldiers home and honor the lives lost. Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt documented moments of pure joy and comfort in Times Square through shots of American citizens united to celebrate VJ Day. He captures the image of a sailor kissing a woman in Times Square, "The Kissing Sailor" also known such as "The Kiss" which later became a cultural artifact and an iconic image of celebrating the resolution of the war, with a resonant effect on modern youth. times, describing the effects of war and the essentiality of peace and unity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay It was a victorious day for everyone in Times Square. Eisenstaedt was in the middle of taking photographs when he caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of his eye. He turns to find a man and a woman kissing passionately. The photograph shows a man in a dark sailor uniform and hat and a woman in a white dress kissing. The woman's right leg is slightly raised while her left arm hangs behind her with her hand resting on the back of her thigh. The sailor is leaning over the woman, holding her by the waist with his right hand. The sailor's left arm supports the woman's head and, at the same time, protects her face from photographers. It's easy to assume that by looking at this picture, the two people kissing know each other. However this is not the case, both individuals shown in this photo did not know each other. This resembles the happiness people must have felt at this time. The kissed woman was working in a nearby dentist's office when she heard the war was ending. He walked to Times Square to see if the rumors were true. Suddenly, she was grabbed by the hips and kissed on the lips by someone she had no connection with. He was so happy not to have to go back to war that he took it upon himself to kiss a stranger to show his gratitude and excitement. From there, Eisenstaedt took a photo of the kiss that later became an iconic photo for its symbolic statement and cultural reminder of a joyous moment in American history. During the 1960s, the photo became popular and better known for media gossip. This was only because the identities of the people in the photo were unknown. At the time, this photo was the subject of scrutiny and attention from the popular media simply because they were starving to know who was in this photo. The photo was then published in LIFE magazine which sparked its popularity. People appreciated that the photograph wasn't staged, but simply showed how wholesome the event truly was. The image of “The Kiss” inevitably captures the ultimate joy of VJ Day in a single image. The people in Times Square reflected their overwhelming sense of relief and euphoria, with huge emotions of bliss and joy and this image shows it perfectly. The composition of this image is minimal but contains meaning and meaning. The importance of this image is the two individuals kissing, they are centered in the photograph. Her white dress contrasts with his dark uniform and together they form a unified pillar on a busy street. The image captures both the subject and its setting. The background is blurry, not in focus. You can see.
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