[Photo Collage: Man with Broom and Dustpan] 1870 - 1880

This is a photo collage entitled "Man with Broom and Dustpan" by Juan Pedro Chabalgoity. Notice first the striking contrast between the man and the orange background. Chabalgoity layers visual elements to destabilize conventional portraiture. The figure's head seems too large for the body, creating a caricature. The bright, almost clashing, colors of green and blue further distort the image, pulling it away from realism. The broom and dustpan introduce a narrative element, but this is secondary to the composition. The collage disrupts traditional artistic values by prioritizing playful distortion over accurate representation. The semiotic system relies on the viewer's awareness of conventional portraiture to understand its deviations. The artist challenges fixed meanings and invites ongoing interpretation. Ultimately, this work functions as a complex commentary on representation itself.