Midterm Study Guide PDF

MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE VISUAL LITERACY: Myth of Photographic Truth Roland Barthes: link between the image and the referent Studium link between the image and the truth Punctum- the affective aspect of an image that speaks to the heart Denotative meaning – literal explicit meaning of a...

MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE VISUAL LITERACY: Myth of Photographic Truth Roland Barthes: link between the image and the referent Studium link between the image and the truth Punctum- the affective aspect of an image that speaks to the heart Denotative meaning – literal explicit meaning of an image Connotative meaning – informed by context of viewer, culture, history Ideology -Connotations that appear natural or normal, but are informed by sets of assumptions and beliefs. Marx – power to produce images> power to dominate the discourse o Ideology is false consciousness spread by dominant powers Althusser- “ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence” o Representation of imaginary – through unconscious relationship to social forces Antonio Gramsci- Hegemony: Hegemonic power comes from negotiation between all classes of people to form a common culture THEORISTS: On Semiotics: Charles Sanders Pierce The Sign- the thing that represents The Object – the subject matter of the sign and the interpretant The Interpretant – the signs meaning or idea & Iconic, Indexical, Symbolic signs o Iconic resemble the object in some way o Indexical signs have a long-standing relationship to the object like symptoms of an illness or fingerprints. They point to the object without being the object. Photographs are largely indexical, though they are in some way iconic as well. o Symbolic signs have no resemblance to their object (like words) Ferdinand de Sausseure The Sign is composed of: Signifier – the thing that represents (the form the sign takes) Signified- The concept it represents Roland Barthes (“useful/clearest for understanding visual images”)- Builds on Sausseure Signifier – sound/image/word + Signified – meaning = equals the Sign On Meaning Louis Althusser – Interpellation We are enlisted as authors, we are called to by images/texts that interpellate us – they “speak to us” – images call out to the viewer Barthes – “Death of the Author” – meaning is created by viewers “READING“ CULTURE: Institutional Critique: Looks at how worth is determined by the institution (museum, studio, government, publisher…) Dada – Duchamp pokes fun at Institutions. Contemporary artist Fred Wilson Appropriation: Of imagery, of culture Media commodification -commercialization of original or authentic Parody, irony can be used when appropriating Transcoding – appropriating derogatory terms for empowerment. Bricolage – Claude Levi-Strauss – ”making-do” , DIY - appropriation from pop culture to define new subculture Counter-Bricolage – commercialization of Bricolage culture Exaggeration instead of rejection for ironic use Appropriation for political art Modernity: Modern: Control nature/improvement of man through technology, science and rational thought (reason) – rejecting superstition and mystery Comes from the Enlightenment Rene Descartes – autonomous, self-knowing subject; “I think therefore I am” Michel Foucault The modern subject is the result of discourses of institutional life. Panopticism, - surveillance (or threat of) controls discourse Power/knowledge – the more powerful controls discourse Biopower – body image controls discourse Spectatorship and the Gaze: Three concepts: 1. Role of unconscious desire 2. Looking helps define us 3. Looking is relational—something we do in conjunction with other, or in a social context. The gaze as a field: we all are in a field of power relationships FORM: Elements and Principles of Art and Design applied Formal Analysis: Examination of how elements and principles are applied along with description of iconography (what is depicted). Elements: Space, Line, Shape, Form, Color, Texture, Value Principles: Movement, Balance, Proportion (Scale), Emphasis, Variety, Unity (Harmony), Rhythm, Repetition (Pattern) Realism/s Social Realism, Surrealism, Photorealism, Impressionism, Performance Art