Essentials of Visual Interpretation

by Rachel R Reynolds, Greg Niedt

Overview

Essentials of Visual Interpretation explains how to talk and write critically about visual media and to examine how evolving visual environments, media, and technologies affect human selfunderstanding and culture formation.

Lively and accessibly written chapters provide a solid foundation in the tools and ideas of visual meaning, familiarizing readers with a growing, cross-cultural subfield, and preparing them to pursue thoughtful work in a variety of related disciplines. The authors include rich examples and illustrations—ranging from cave paintings to memes, from optical science to visual analytics, from ancient pictographs to smart phones—that engage students with the fascinating complexity of visual interpretation. Each chapter introduces students to key terms and concepts relevant to visual analysis, with ideas for short individual or group exercises to enhance understanding.

The book is ideal as a primer in visual analysis and visual communication for students in courses within communication studies, cultural studies, digital humanities, semiotics, media studies, and visual anthropology.

Online support materials include multimedia activities for students and links to additional resources for students and instructors.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780367491284
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/30/2020
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	236
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x (d)

About the Author

Rachel R. Reynolds is Associate Professor of Communication and Graduate Faculty in Communication, Culture & Media at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She researches discourse and semiotics of race, immigration, and gender.

Greg Niedt is an Instructor in the Liberal Arts department at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia. Greg’s research focuses on how discourses of cultural, gender, and linguistic diversity are represented in the urban landscape.

Table of Contents

List of Images ix

Image Acknowledgments and Attributions xi

Authors' Acknowledgments xiv

1 How Is Seeing a Cultural Practice? 1

Introduction 1

Key Terms in Visual Literacy 10

Multimodality 10

Semiosis 12

Visual Literacy in Application 18

Exercises 22

For Further Exploration 23

2 Cognition and Vision 25

Introduction 25

Primates and Vision 25

Visual Development and Human Cognition 29

Gestalt and Vision 31

Optics and Human Perception of Moving Pictures 34

Differences of Vision and Visuality 35

Artists Seeing Differently 39

Color and Culture 42

Maps and Cognition of Space 45

Exercises 47

For Further Exploration 48

3 Visual History, Visual Culture, Ideology 49

Introduction 49

Interpreting Ancient Art 52

Five Thousand Years of Text 56

Religion, Ideology, and Representation 59

The Invention of Perspective 62

Class and Colonialism in Modern Art 67

Exercises 71

For Further Exploration 72

4 Photography, Film, and Visual Storytelling 73

Introduction 73

Tiie Rise of Photography 74

Film and Its Codes 80

On Television 85

Aspects of Storytelling 90

Graphic Novels as Sequential Visual Phenomenon 92

Exercises 96

For Further Exploration 97

5 Word, Image, Sound: What Is Multimodality? 98

Introduction 98

Codes, Conventions, and Interpreting Meaning 99

The Natural(ized) Experience of Multimodality 103

How Do Modes Interact? 108

Reading a Multimodal Text or Object 113

Parting Comment on Multimodal Interpretation 117

Exercises 118

For Further Exploration 119

6 Remediation and Intertexuality 121

Introduction 121

On Intertextuality 123

From Memes to Internet Memes 125

Illustration: The Firestarter Meme 127

Hypermediacy and the Metavisual 131

What Do We Use Memes for? A Global Approach 134

Memes, Copyright, and Privacy 136

Conclusion 138

Exercises 141

For Further Exploration 142

7 Visual Persuasion and Political Life 143

Introduction 143

On Visuality and Persuasion 144

Psychology of Persuasion 148

Visual Politics and Media Effects 153

Group Identity, Image, and Protest 154

Propaganda and Persuasion 157

Misinformation and Fake News 159

Image Forensics 161

Exercises 162

For Further Exploration 163

8 Visual Encoding and Decoding in the Early 21st Century 165

Introduction: Who Are Producers and Consumers of Images? 165

Cultural Studies: Encoding and Decoding 166

Encoding 166

Decoding 168

Hegemony 172

Tlie Mainstream and Hegemony 175

Garbage In, Garbage Out 178

Marketing Ethnicity and Visual Cultural Appropriation 180

Visuality and Identity on the Internet 182

Conclusion: The Future of Encoding and Decoding in Influencer Culture 187

Exercises 188

For Further Exploration 189

9 Vision, Technology, and the Future 190

Introduction 190

Futurology 191

Augmented Reality 194

Surveillance and Law Enforcement 197

Techno-Utopianism Is Also Dystopianism 199

Observational Astronomy 201

Exercises 205

For Further Exploration 207

Epilogue 208

List of References 210

Index 212

Editorial Reviews

This slim but substantial volume is a joy to read and strikes a good balance between rigor and accessibility.” — Dolores Flamiano, James Madison University, USA

From the Publisher