The first day: Reflecting on the readings

I enjoy the way Sturken and Cartwright begin the introduction of their text, Practices of Looking — they open with a simple statement of fact: images have changed and will continue to change the way the world is seen (and often heard or described, understood or operated). This idea is one that I am familiar with, as it has shaped preceding generations and prompted the idea of cross-fertilization (2) that the authors invite readers to ponder.

What I find fascinating is the bridge that images build to connect two extremes whether they be tangible or not (i.e., medicine and art; illiterate and literate). This bridge exists not only between differing subjects and genres but between age gaps in individuals as well. Children begin processing cognitions, through shapes and colors, in their early stages of development and, they make associations based on what Sturken and Cartwright call the visual culture. I am particularly interested in how one image can serve multiple purposes and offer differing meanings for various consumers or viewers, an idea the authors foreshadow in their introduction and allude to within the opening paragraphs of Chapter 1 as well into the discussion of Barthes’s model. 

I am familiar with this visual culture, its evolution over time as a “fluid and interactive process,” (4) as well as the idea of the all-powerful image and its ability to dictate meaning, harbor emotion, and foster intellect. Within the chapter, Sturken and Cartwright also attend to the powerful distinction made between two simple words: see and look. I understand the message the authors declare here, yet it is one I have not given significant thought before this reading.  

I also found the following terms familiar (to differing extents): representation (12), subjectivity vs. objectivity (16), denotation vs. connotation (19), and ideologies (21). I am most interested in representation and find the example of Rene Magritte’s The Treachery of Images (1928-29) intriguing and enjoyable. The simplicity and cleverness of such art initiates great aftermath and thought. In addition, I take great interest in the value of art, the criteria for that value judgment, and the accompanying debate as it is discussed in the latter pages of the chapter. This topic presents a constant, ever-changing platform for conversation.

In several of my undergraduate courses, professors exposed me to some of the paintings shown in this chapter, such as Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe Diptych (1962) and Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother (1936). It is interesting to revisit these works and read how they, specifically, have impacted this visual culture and are now viewed today.

After reading, I am left with a curiosity regarding the future of image production and editing. Where does Photoshop stand in today’s visual culture? If technology is responsible for certain features being black-boxed, how can images be original or creative? Oh, the questions that brew in my head!