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Three questions out of four had to be answered for the test, in English. Additionally, each of the students has to write a paper about five articles or a book. I chose W. J. T. Mitchell's Picture Theory (1994) One question had to be answered about why one photographs or not. The other one was about the difference between photojournalism and documentary, the third question I answered concerned the depicition of reality, and socially provoking photography. We were allowed to use dictionaries, I didn't bring mine, because I thought we would not be allowed to use one.
Imago Reviewed: An Analysis/ Synopsis of Imaging
Intro
Many questions offered by W. J. T. Mitchell accompany the reader — I did not count them. The author moots verbal and pictorial representations by the end of the 20th century, when iconic and pictorial turns were about to happen. Mitchell sets out to explain the “pictorial turn” in his book, which is sometimes called “iconic turn” in scientific discourse. Several essays grapple with the new importance of pictures in science, after linguistic and structural approaches to explain socio — cultural models of being were more or less abandoned. Numerous scientists refer to visual theories, but W. J. T. Mitchell dips into it by attempting to write about the “image/text problematic”. He induces his audience to reflect upon methods, theories, the visible language, ekphrasis, the narrative, the image, objects, illusions, ideology and realism relating to politics, power and the public sphere. He criticizes ideology and propaganda and contextualizes relations of word and image in the representational field in a larger perspective, “This is a book, however, that attempts to put the relation of ‘word and image’ and cultural politics in a larger perspective than contemporary anxieties about television and literacy” (Mitchell 1994: 4).
Mitchell’s Picture Theory
The book Picture Theory consists of five parts with 13 chapters and a metatext referring to two central questions, namely “What are images?” and “How do they differ from words?” In the following, the author locates the problem of the image in the 21st century by proposing, “Certainly I would not be the first to suggest that we live in a culture dominated by pictures, visual simulations, stereotypes, illusions, copies, reproductions, imitations, and fantasies” (Mitchell 1994: 2).
... to be continued ...
Reference
Bachmann — Medick, Doris (2007) Cultural Turns. Neuorientierungen in den Kulturwissenschaften. Reinbeck bei Hamburg: Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, S. 329- 380.
Belting, Hans (2001) Bild — Anthropologie. Entwürfe für eine Bildwissenschaft. München: Wilhelm Fink Verlag
Mitchell, W. J. T. (1994) Picture Theory. Chicago: Chicago University Press
Internet
Bal, Mieke (2005) The Committment to Look
DOI: 10.1177/1470412905054671 08/07/2009 19:30:49
Harrison, Charles (2007) W. J. T. Mitchell, What Do Pictures Want?
DOI: 10.1177/14704129070060010102 08/07/2009 19:31:23
Horvath, Gyöngyver / Szauter, Dora (2008) Interview with Professor WJT Mitchell
URL: http://humanities.uchicago.edu/faculty/mitchell/interviews/Interview-Budapest%20Oct%202008.doc 04/07/2009 21:37:44
Mitchell, W. J. T. : Homepage
URL: http://humanities.uchicago.edu/faculty/mitchell/home.htm 7/4/2009 9:28:01 PM
Mitchell, William J. T. (2002) Showing seeing: a critique of visual culture
DOI: 10.1177/147041290200100202 08/07/2009 19:31:56
Mitchell, William J. T. (2005) There Are No Visual Media
DOI: 10.1177/1470412905054673 08/07/2009 19:32:36
Moxey, Keith (2008) Visual Studies and the Iconic Turn
DOI: 10.1177/1470412908091934 08/07/2009 19:33:07
Ruby, Jay (1996) Visual Anthropology
URL: http://astro.temple.edu/~ruby/ruby/cultanthro.html 04/07/2009 21:58:13
Schavemaker, Margriet (2008) Threatened by the imageless image interview with W. J. T. Mitchell
URL: http://www.metropolism.org/features/interview-with-w.j.t.mitchell 04/07/2009 21:39:43
Last update: 28-07-2009 20:28
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