Juxtaposition 1

Juxtaposition means placing things side-by-side. In art this usually is done with the intention of bringing out a specific quality or creating an effect, particularly when two contrasting or opposing elements are used. The viewer's attention is drawn to the similarities or differences between the elements.


Pronunciation: jucks-ta-pose, jucks-ta-pos-i-shun


Example and Observation:
"Watchmen at lonely railroad crossings in Iowa, hoping that they'll be able to get off to hear the United Brethren evangelist preach. . . . Ticket-sellers in the subway, breathing sweat in its gaseous form. . . . Farmers plowing sterile fields behind sad meditative horses, both suffering from the bites of insects. . . . Grocery-clerks trying to make assignations with soapy servant girls. . . . Women confined for the ninth or tenth time, wondering helplessly what it is all about. . . ."(H.L. Mencken. "Diligence." A Mencken Chrestomathy, 1949)


Quotes About Juxtaposition
"Creativity is that marvelous capacity to grasp mutually distinct realities and draw a spark from their juxtaposition."
— Max Ernst

Juxtaposition in photography