Visual Vs. Symbolic Lanuage

This photo contains a lot of visual language. Initially we see a young boy dressed in a suit, crying. Behind the boy are standing figures with hands crossed, in formal attire; suits and uniforms. In front of the boy is a Naval officers of some sort, kneeling in front of the boy with a folded American flag in his hands. The Officers is dressed in his formal attire, with a white officer's cap, and white gloves. Just from these basic descriptions, the viewer may have the idea that the setting for this photo may be a funeral. The boy might be a son or relative of a soldier or officers. The Naval officer may be handing the boy a flag, commemorating his parent's/relative's, as a sign of great servitude to the country.

Responses:

Dispair, Sadness, Loss, Support, Commemoration, Ceremony, Tears

Symbols:

Folded Flag- shows patriotism, possible loss of a soldier, appreciation for servitude

Naval Officer (Hat and Gloves)- formal attire, shows that ceremony is for the armed forces

I think that the visual and compositional structure really ties the image together. The feeling of loss, sadness and dispair are all feelings that we can see through the young boy crying in the image. The visual responses of commemoration and ceremony are in response to the individuals in the image and the folded flag; The Naval Officer is represented in the image as someone that is giving support to the boy, consoling the boy for his loss, and the flag symbolizes the bravery of servitude for the fallen soldier, commemorating him/her. 

Interactions Between Three Levels of Meaning: Abstract, Representation, and Symbolism

    This is an illustration created by Charles Harper from the book, An Illustrated Life, circa 1950. Charles Harper has a very unique style that appears quite evident in his work. He's  been regarded as "a master of Mid-Century Modernism", and has referred to his own work style as "minimal realism". I think that this illustration is a perfect example of all three levels of meaning: Abstract, Representation, and Symbolism. 

Representation:

    One can easily deduce that this is indeed a fish. Its is in-fact a representation of a Rainbow Trout. The image shows visual details such as the shape, form, and colors of a Rainbow Trout. Besides the fact that the image specifically shows what type of trout it is, the image is a representation of a trout, and of all fish. The illustration carries large amounts of visual details. It is a representation which is categorized based on the knowledge and experience of the viewer. Based on my knowledge and experience, the fish is a Rainbow Trout, but to the viewer that doesn't know those details, its is just any other fish.

Abstract:

    The picture is obviously not an exact image of a rainbow trout as if we were to see it with our own two eyes, it is an abstract drawing. When asked about his style, Charles Harper responded:  "When I look at a wildlife or nature subject...I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced, without trimming or unutilized parts". The image can be broken down to simple shapes and natural colors, very bare elements. Needless to say, Charles Harper combines these shapes and colors that gives the image a deep artistic and realistic feel. 

Symbolism:

    I believe that this image carries some symbolic references. Taking the whole image into account, and not just the fish, we can see several iconic graphical symbols, from which their form suggests their meaning. The first two parallel in meaning: the net and the fishing hook (fly). Both suggest fishing. The third form is the water underneath the fish. The shapes of the water and the splashes, as well as the different color of the water, light blue vs. white, created by the trout may suggest that the trout is located in a river, turmoil water. The fourth symbol is the fish. The form of the fish clearly depicts the body, fins, and tail of the fish. 

    I believe that based on the examples shown, this image of a Rainbow Trout, illustrated by Charles Harper clearly shows signs of all three levels of meaning: Abstract, Representation, and Symbolism.

Representational, Abstract, and Symbols

Representational: 

    The representational I chose was a picture of my dog. I think that everyone knows and can relate to a dog.  The picture is a direct representation of George, the dog. But the image also represents all dogs. The image is something that can be easily categorized due to it being extremely detailed and of something that we can directly recognize form the environment.

Abstract:

      The abstract image that I chose was a combination of different aspects. Initially, the we can we see that the image is pure abstract; it creates a visual experience. The second abstract aspect of the image is that it is a concept based image, based of the concept of a subway. The third aspect is that the image is purely representational of a subway map, displaying the various train lines. 

Symbol:

     The image that I chose for symbolism is of a fish. The first aspect of the image that we can see is that it is in fact a fish. The image and design is vague enough to imply that it is a fish, but doesn't specify which fish it is. The image is easily able to express and communicate to the view based upon the simplicity of the design.  The symbol can also be categorized as an iconic symbol, easily showing the representation of a fish.