MDST*1030 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Gestalt Psychology, Semiotics, Emmett Till
Week 2: Representation & the Act of Looking, the Myth of Photographic Truth, the Value of Image
The Act of Looking
-Seeing is what we do somewhat arbitrarily as we go about our lives
-Looking is a voluntary practice, involving relationships of power.
-Emmett Louis Till (July 25, 1941 – August 28, 1955) was an African-American boy who was
murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. He was
kidnapped 3 days later beaten, gouged out one of his eyes, before shooting him through the
head and disposing of his body in the Tallahatchie River. The boy, being from Chicago, had 14-
year-old boy who had unknowingly defied a severe social caste system.
-Till’s murder is noted as a pivotal event motivating the African-American Civil Rights
Movement.
-His public funeral service (with an open casket to show the world the brutality of the killing)
was attended by tens of thousands.
-Images of his mutilated body were published in magazines and newspapers, rallying popular
black support and white sympathy across the U.S.
-Intense scrutiny was brought to bear on the condition of black civil rights in Mississippi, with
newspapers around the country critical of the state.
Representation
-Refers to the use of language and image to create meaning
about the world around us.
-The world is not reflected back at us as is—Images are not
merely imitation of the world (mimesis) but are actively
constructed by viewers through specific cultural contexts.
-We construct meaning through systems of representation
(connotation + denotation)
The Myth of Photographic Truth
-Positivism: Belief that the photographic image provided an
unbiased record of of the truth; Involves the belief that empirical truths can be established
through visual evidence; Empirical truth is something that can be proven through
experimentation.
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-Because people can influence or prejudice the experiment, machines were thought of as more
objective recorders of information than humans.
Denotation: people on trolley
Connotation: segregation between black and whites with
the black people being pushed to the back of the bus
The Column of Trajan was, when it was built, the
most impressive tower in the world. The column
stood 100 feet tall, supported by a massive
rectangular base and topped with a gilded statue of
Trajan seated on a horse. The entire column was
covered in images depicting Trajan’s victory in the
Dacian wars.
Denotation: a tall column describing Roman emperor Trajan’s victory in the Dacian Wars.
Connotation: epic stories, heroic acts.
Images and Ideologies
--Ideologies are systems of belief that exist within all cultures.
-Images are an important means through which ideologies are produced and onto which
ideologies are projected.
-Propaganda—crude process of using false representations to lure people into holding beliefs
that may compromise their own interests or that support the beliefs of the image producer.
-Ideology in this sense is used in the pejorative.
-Ideology can be described as broad set of shared values/beliefs through which individuals
subscribe to.
-Ideology is the means by which certain values (freedom) are made to seem like natural
inevitable aspects of everyday life
-Ex. Importance of the home, Ideas about social justice, Individual freedoms, Technology
-Film, advertising and television reinforce ideological constructs about the value of romantic
love, the normality of heterosexuality, nationalism, and traditional concepts of good and evil.
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-Many of these ideologies are delivered as a ‘given’ and not questioned. Example use of Mr. vs.
Mrs. or Miss.
The controversial TIME cover was heavily
criticized for making OJ look darker (and more
menacing?) than the original mug shot,
compared to the unaltered image used by
Newsweek magazine.
-In early film would cast
black and Latino actors
in roles of villains and evil characters.
-This convention tied into lingering ideologies of 19th century racial
‘science’ where darker skin indicated a predisposition toward social
deviance.
-Therefore darkening Simpson’s skin was an ideological choice.
The Value of Images
-Rare, Authenticity
-Value arises from status as an excellent example of post - impressionistic/modernism according
to art historians. Social mythology that surrounds van Gogh strongly supports the stereotype of
the tortured/misunderstood artist.
Organizers were offended by
the piece and its message
about art’s value, taste and
the practice of display.
Mother and Child
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Document Summary
Week 2: representation & the act of looking, the myth of photographic truth, the value of image. Seeing is what we do somewhat arbitrarily as we go about our lives. Looking is a voluntary practice, involving relationships of power. Emmett louis till (july 25, 1941 august 28, 1955) was an african-american boy who was murdered in mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. He was kidnapped 3 days later beaten, gouged out one of his eyes, before shooting him through the head and disposing of his body in the tallahatchie river. The boy, being from chicago, had 14- year-old boy who had unknowingly defied a severe social caste system. Till"s murder is noted as a pivotal event motivating the african-american civil rights. His public funeral service (with an open casket to show the world the brutality of the killing) was attended by tens of thousands.
