Thinking critically about visual images Visual Imagery Thinking critically about visual images

The Steps Overview Analyze Infer Synthesize Evaluate

Overview Survey the image or sequence for a view of the whole and clues about its origins and purposes Source: What is the source of the work? Who created it? Purpose: Why was it created? Audience: Who was it created for? Who is its target audience? Content: What does the ad show overall? What appears to be happening?

Analysis Discern the elements that contribute to the whole What are the people, animals or objects depicted? Consider, too, the background, the lighting, color, shape, balance, etc. What is distinctive about each? What does the composition of the work emphasize? If spoken or written words or music accompany the image, what do they say? How are they placed in relation to the individual elements? Discern the elements that contribute to the whole

Inference What do the elements say about the creator’s intentions and assumptions? What does the creator seem to assume about viewers’ backgrounds, needs, interests, values? If the work contains written or spoken words, how do they interact with the visual components? Interpret the underlying meanings of the elements as well as the assumptions and intentions of the work’s creators

Synthesis What general appeal does the work make to viewers? Does it emphasize logical argument, emotions, or the creator’s views about the subject’s worthiness? What feelings, memories, moods or ideas does the work seem intended to summon from viewers? Why, given the purpose of the work, would the creator try to establish these associations? Form an idea about how the elements function together to produce a whole and to deliver a message

Let’s analyze this image. What is it of Let’s analyze this image. What is it of? What does it tell us explicitly? Implicitly?

Evaluation Judge the work’s quality, success, significance, or value Does the work seem to fulfill its creator’s intentions? Does it do what the creator wanted? Apart from the creator’s intentions, how does the work affect you? Does it move you? Amuse you? Bore you? Offend you? Was the work worth creating?