Reading the image - Alice G. Guillermo           3.
Interplay of contemporary
                                                    idioms with the traditional arts
Our visual experience covers 3 kinds of             in new works
images produced in society today;
                                                        -   Use of indigenous materials
Images in the traditional arts                              and forms
   -   Often articles of everyday life        Basic documentary information about a
       combining design and function.         work of art;
   -   Functions to preserve the values          1. Title of the work - a textual
       and belief system of the                     element which may or may not
       community in the context of                  contribute to its meaning
       everyday life.
                                                 2. Name of artists - biographical
   -   Contains their own visual                    data
       vocabulary and symbolism.
                                                 3. Medium and techniques - a keen
Images in everyday life                             awareness of the art, not just as a
                                                    completed work but also as an
   -   Disseminated in the print and tv             artistic process involving particular
       media                                        aspects
Images in the contemporary arts                  4. Dimensions or measurements -
                                                    the format of a painting may hold
   -   Found in painting, sculpture,                symbolism.
       drawings, illustrations, cartoons,
       posters, murals, photographs, and         5. Date of work - The date, often the
       film. They are conveyed through              year, in which the work was
       various media                                completed situates the work in a
                                                    period and provides the historical
   -   Represents reality, and expresses            context of a work.
       emotions.
                                                 6. Provenance - indicated by the
Painting and sculpture have passed                  name of the present owner or
through 3 stages;                                   collector of the work, whether it
                                                    belongs to a museum, gallery, or
   1. Introduction from the west of                 private collection.
      drawing or painting on a
      two-dimensional surface
           -   Copying of western models
               as seen in the engravings of
               the 17th century and in the
               religious paintings
   2. Appropriation of these forms
      with artistic creativity and
      originality.
           -   Miniaturist painters in the
               19th century
Four planes of analysis
The basic semiotic plane - the study of
“signs.” The visual elements and how they
are used conveys meaning which form the
text of the work
   -   Consists of “signifier” or its
       material/physical aspect and its
       “signified” or non-material aspect
       as concept and value
   -   Concerned with anything that can
       be taken as a sign.
The iconic plane or the image itself -
based on the signifier-signified
relationship. The only difference is that
material elements of the work have to
do with the particular features, aspects
and qualities of the image.
The contextual plane - resituating the
work in its context will bring out the full
meaning of the work in terms of its human
and social implications.
   -   If one does not view the work in
       relation to its context, but chooses
       to confine analysis to the internal
       structure of the work then he
       reduces its meaning.
The axiological or evaluative plane - has
to do with analyzing the values of a work.