Representation

Walton's essay, Looking at Pictures and Looking at Things, addresses the physical and cognitive processes related to visual perception. He begins by arguing that the process of interpreting the "real world" is much closer aligned with that of viewing a visual representation, as compared to a written description. Therefore, the author asserts, "Pictures make much better props in visual games of make believe than verbal descriptions would (given their respective semantic characteristics)." While the author uses this argument only as a foundational point for his larger ideas regarding truth and style in representation it is worth pointing out that his argument is obscured by his own value structure. For example, nowhere does he adequately address the different objectives or styles of the myriad descriptive writings in literature. Instead, he cites one fairly descriptive passage, which he refers to as, "more visual than many in literature", which he then dismisses. Only cursory mention is given to writing performed expressly for the purpose of creating an image for the mind’s eye. However disappointed I was in this aspect of the essay, the author’s observations on viewers’ biases in interpreting images were very interesting. I was particularly intrigued by his mention of Wollheim, and the issues surrounding image analysis. I also found significant merit in the authors’ comments regarding style and its impact on the creation of “fictional truths� within an image. A particularly insightful section compares the realism of Vermeer and the abstraction of Matisse, with respect to the flexibility viewers are given in reading an image.