English 202: Visual Rhetoric (Darnell & McElrath): Home

Look at your image and make an inventory of what you see within the frame. Here are some questions to consult as you make your inventory:

• What do you see in the image?
• Are there people in the image? What are they doing? How are they presented?
• What do you notice about the setting, place, or context?
• What objects or other components do you see?
• How is the image composed? How are the elements in the image arranged?
• What colors are used in the image? What effects are created by the use of color?
• What text accompanies the image? What is the purpose of the textual information? What kind of context does the textual information provide?

Once you have an inventory of the image, you need to find more information about it. This is a good opportunity to use resources on the open web  to find out more information about the image. This information will form the beginnings of your concept map.

Try to determine where, how, why, and for whom the image was made. Use the questions below to help guide you as you find information on the image.

• Now that you know more, examine the image again. What do you see now that you didn’t see before?
• Did reading about the image change how you see it? How?
• What are the most important visual elements in the image? How can you tell?
• Can you interpret the image in different ways?
• What meanings are conveyed by the information, people, things, or actions in the image?
• How do design choices contribute to the meaning of the image?
• How does this image function? Does it illustrate, document entertain, persuade, and so on?

All images carry meanings that can only be understood through a contextualization of how, when, where, and why they were produced. Images do not exist in a vacuum. Situate images within the framework of their social, political, and economic circumstances.

Below is a list of ways to contextualize your image. Not every option is appropriate for every image, but try to apply more than one option to your image.

Ways to understand and analyze your image:

• Contextual
  • Historical - time period, political history/climate,
  • Artistic - place a work in time and categories by technique, style, and iconography
• Cultural
  • Should you consider the cultural implications of your image? Does the image include items that have implications for a cultural group?
  • Is there a question of cultural appropriation in this work? Are there participants who are wearing items that are not of their own culture? Is the author of the work using aesthetics outside of their cultural experience/knowledge? Are there issues with this?
• Ethical
  • Is there is social or political message to your image? Is there an ethical issue related to the subject of image? Is that person in a position to give their consent to the creation of the image? Does that matter in the context of your image?
  • Is the image designed to manipulate the feelings of the viewer?
  • You may want to consider distribution of the image.
• Aesthetic
  • Things to consider: layout, framing, color choices, repeating patterns, etc.
  • Consider your audience and the gaze of the viewer. Where is the eye drawn to in the image? How does the author force the gaze of the viewer?
• Technical components
  • How was the image made? Is there something different about the creation or finished product that sets it apart from other images in the same genre/time period/artistic movement/etc.?
  • If a photo, what was the processing for that photo?

Click on the concept map to see a full-size version of the image.