Truth and Meaning

An image in itself is an imitation of itself. A painting of a pear, for example, is an imitation of a physical pear (it is not the pear itself).

A representation of an object that is not the object itself. Images are/ can be seen as a type of language
Meaning comes from culturally significance and significance that we draw as human beings from familiarity.
Pictures ca signify certain stuff to certain people eg. Panzani Advert

 When you get passed looking at something culturally, you can start looking at the messages just with your eyes (linguistic message, literal).
Literal accompaniments in advertising can also have meaning passed the literal. Linguistic use in images can have meaning within the image.

When have you ever seen an advert with text? Here are some examples!

Language tells you what the image is or what it is about much more clearly than the image by itself  It denotes meaning directly rather than you interpreting connotations about the meaning.

Text also tells you what an image is NOT about. It point you away/ manipulates your view on the connotations that you get from the image.

Can be used to enforce ideology - a reading selected in advance by an author for your consumption.

Words can have a repressive value - it excludes other meanings and values of the image. It fixes the meaning of the image.

Speech and image can work together in images in comics for example  The images meaning is shown through the text but the visual meaning extend the meaning given by the text.

Relay - the meaning is fluid depending on the cultural significance.

Sticking - text etc tells us the meaning; one fixed meaning.

Literal - You will ne er get a purely literal image. Even if you had a poster of a cup you would still being emotional attachment to it.

We are constantly pushing meaning onto everything; we can't observe things literally.

A drawing does not produce a whole image because it is selective and has personality whereas photos cannot be intervened with unless after they are taken e.g. Photoshop.

So it can be argued that the photograph is more of a literal registration of images/ objects etc. Image is removed from the human process which can ultimately ruin a reproduction.

There is a sense of truth within art with photographs. Paintings are/ could be illusions and an emotional attachment of an event. This could mean that they are embellished with emotional meaning personal to the creator.

Photos give evidence of ho the event actually took place. A photograph is a fixed point in time. It can be seen as a more natural artwork because they are a non-human influenced object.

Pseudo-Truth - false truth

Photo take our mind to that place in time.

Who decides what is 'good taste'?

Canon = what goes into...

Canon of Art = storage of art (art packed away that has been picked to be displayed)

Now, in the next week, I need to read part 3 of 'Rhetoric of the Image' in the 'Responsibility of Forms' by Roland Barthes.

I also need to read 'Civilising Rituals' Carol Duncan and 'Death of the Author' Also by Roland Barthes. Mean can't be given,  only the reader can decide what meaning they get from an object.

I will also be posting an image on here that I will analyse, using the language I have been learning in my lectures.