Don't Ever Look Back.

This image goes against the archetypal "romantic" image we've been talking about in class. It's obviously set in a club, packed with way too many people, and it's a crazy enough scene to be crowd surfing. For me, though, this image screams "romantic". First of all, the photo was taken from above the crowd, almost as if to make the viewer feel like they are up on stage too, waiting to jump in the crowd just like the guy in the picture. All we can see is what's right in front of us- the huge crowd of people that seems never-ending; we don't need to see beyond that. The photo is asking us not to see beyond it. The words going across the center of the photo take precedence, because, well, they're smack dab in the center of the photo. "Don't ever look back", scrolled across an image of a sea of people that's seemingly endless, calls us to jump in there, without thinking. It's asking us to just go. This whole image argues for us to lose our inhibitions, go with our intuition, and go with what we FEEL. All of these are keywords for romanticism that we discussed in class. We even discussed a "hands over heads" kind of ideal, meaning that, with romanticism, we are called to let our bodies do the talking instead of thinking critically. The sea of people in the photo have their hands stretched to the ceiling, both symbolizing a loss of inhibition and the fact that they are waiting to catch the next surfer.
All of the people in this image are completely lost in themselves; hands thrown in the air, smiling, laughing, lost in the moment and in what is going on RIGHT NOW. They are completely focused on what they are feeling right now. The crowd surfer surely isn't thinking about the bills he has to pay tomorrow or his schedule for work next week. Romanticism is all about being in touch with what's real, connecting with yourself and your feelings, and nature. While this photo was taken in a very urban setting, the people in it symbolize a connection with nature that goes beyond taking a dip in a secluded lake or hiking in the woods. They are lost in themselves and what they are feeling at the moment, which, to me, is more natural than anything.