Practices of Looking: 22-47; Document Design: Chapters 1-3

Ideology affects nearly everything people see. According to Sturken and Cartwright, ideologies are “the broad but indispensable shared set of values and beliefs through which individuals live out their complex relations in a range of social networks” (23). These values, such as familial devotion and the right to free speech in the United States, shape our way of looking at the world. However, not only personal experiences relate and change our ideologies, but the media does as well. Television shows viewers values that may be true to society, but they may be fabricated by the medium itself in order to convey these values as “normal.” It is frightening to think that the media controls our beliefs in what we consider real or natural, when, in fact, these beliefs are false.

Artist Yue Minjun plays with the falsity of smiles in a lot of his paintings. Instead of showing happiness, as many smiles seem to connote, his subjects’ smiles show irony, agony, sadness and a plethora of other negative emotions. All these various meanings are explained by Charles Sanders Pierce, who believed that signs mean nothing unless they are interpreted by our thought processes. This idea stems from semiotics. Barthes took this idea and explained signs as a combination of a signifier (the image or word) and the signified (the meaning of the image or word) (Sturken and Cartwright 29). There are three types of signs: iconic, which resemble their objects; indexical, which coexisted with their objects at one time; and symbolic, which do not have a direct relationship to their objects, such as words. 

The values of images are incredibly interesting, especially in the case of icons. If something is mass-produced and turned into a commodity, nearly anything can become an icon. Andy Warhol embraces the allure of the icon with the celebrity Marilyn Monroe in his 1962 piece, Marilyn Diptych. He reproduces Monroe’s image several times, showing us how ubiquitous she was in the entertainment industry throughout the ’50s and ’60s.

The readings in Document Design opened my eyes to the many ways that a document can be visually appealing or displeasing. Documents are made by the designer in order to satisfy the needs of the client as well as to allow users to effectively interact with the documents. The seven visual variables to manipulate objects within a two-dimensional design consist of shape, orientation, texture, color, value, size and position. I had always known that when these variables are used effectively, they can create a good document. However, I was not consciously aware of the fact that the designer must actively manipulate them before delivering the final document. Before submitting the work, the designer may run into problems with inadequate figure-ground contrast, for example. Then, he or she might distinguish between the object and its background by changing the value of the object so that it can be seen more clearly. I was also aware of the six basic principles of design: similarity, contrast, proximity, alignment, order and enclosure, although I did not know of the different theories that surround these principles and the way we interpret documents.

I understand the Gestalt laws of perception, which include figure-ground discrimination, grouping and good figure. However, I find it unsatisfactory that Gestalt only concentrates on a general human being interpreting documents, rather than individuals or small groups of people. Constructivism makes sense because although we cannot constantly view and experience all things in the world, we take the fragments that we are experiencing at the moment to produce a whole. I find this theory more believable than ecological perception, which insists that we experience everything through direct perception, which allows our senses to perceive things without any indirect neurological responses. Since I believe that I only know my perception of reality, rather than reality itself, it is hard for me to fathom that this theory can be true, even though I wish it were.

I had not previously realized that visual rhetoric can be witnessed in any document. Each document combines ethos, pathos and logos to provide users with a sense of the authors, emotional responses from the users and the facts the document wishes to present. For example, in many Nike advertisements, the company wishes to convey the image of being cool, trendy and athletic. They want users to feel that they themselves will be cool and athletic if they purchase Nike products. It is important in these advertisements to show that the products are made of quality material and will satisfy the customer; it is not important to divulge how expensive these products are.

Sturken, Marita and Cartwright, Lisa. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. New    

          York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.

Practices of Looking: Introduction and Chapter 1 (9-22)

Although I had a general grasp of what visual culture is, reading the introduction and first section of Practices of Learning helped define the idea. This book tells its audience that visual culture is the "shared practices of a group, community, or society through which meanings are made out of visual, aural, or textual world of representations and ways that looking practices are engaged in symbolic and communicative activities" (Sturken and Cartwright 3). The writing emphasizes that the exchange of meaning in anything related to visual culture is constantly changing, which gives it new meaning to every individual. Any visual object can become symbolic of a person, place, idea, or any other thing that may hold importance within the time and society in which it is created. 

I also had an understanding of critical theory and have applied it before (probably without knowing it) in my life. I am familiar with the differences between the denotation and connotation of something, both of which can affect how someone responds to a visual object in regards to his/her past experiences and related thoughts. I enjoy focusing more on something’s connotation because it tells me ample information about the culture, society and views on what is being studied. Some terms that are new to me include positivism, the philosophy holding that scientific knowledge is the only authentic, true knowledge in life; studium, which refers to the truth and distanced appreciation of a camera and photographs; and punctum, the effect some photos have that make viewers feel emotional.

It is interesting that at the beginning of the first chapter, the authors are quick to note that the practice of looking concerns power. One holds the power to look or not to look, yet the images have power as well. Sometimes, one can almost not help but look, no matter how devastating or life-changing the visual concept may be. Weegee's photograph titled The First Murder captures this concept vividly. The children in this photograph, who are witnessing a dead body for possibly the first time in their lives, seem almost possessed. They have to look. One kid in the corner is even smiling. A girl's eyes bug out in earnest so that she can witness all the details of this night. It seems absurd to think that these children are looking at the results of a murder. Only a few people look away from the gruesome sight, and only one is in clear distress. The sight of the murder holds too much power over these young children; its novelty practically forces them to watch.

The numerous representations, the images that help us create meaning within our world, shown in the first chapter help the audience understand how they (the images) reflect upon much more than simply upon the objects or people portrayed within them. While Henri-Horace Roland de la Porte's Still Life may show a viewer some fruit and containers, it also gives insight into the life of the owner of these things. It  looks like he or she just ate a meal in the country, where life is simple, rustic and hardworking. The foods may appeal to the viewer's gustatory senses, and the way the light seems to cascade over the objects and table appeals to the visual. In reality, there is no light reflecting off the glass container, but the painter's skill is so adept that onlookers believe the light must be coming in from a partially opened door or window. René Magritte plays with representations in the painting, The Treachery of Images (This is Not a Pipe). Magritte is correct in saying that his painting of a pipe is, in fact, not a pipe. Rather, it is an image of a pipe. It looks like a pipe, but one cannot hold it and smoke it. Sometimes it is difficult to remember the differences between a representation and the real thing.

I am interested in learning more about how visual culture varies amongst different societies and cultures. I enjoy discovering the meanings behind symbols and how one can have various interpretations depending upon who is observing it. Another aspect of visual culture that captures my interest concerns persuasive techniques. How do representations and symbols persuade their audiences to feel, think or act a certain way? How often do they affect me, and in what ways? I would like to become more aware of the thousands of media forms that create an impact upon my decisions, as well as how I can use them to affect others.



Sturken, Marita and Cartwright, Lisa. Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. New 
          York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.