Reading Reflection #3

1. Images have primary meanings; however, viewers may interpret the meanings differently (p.51)
2. In the practice of looking, a person is called a viewer and not audience because we are talking about an individual (pp.51-51).
3. One can accept or reject interpellate depending on their interpretations of the image or text (p.54).
4. The word producer has a different meaning within the film industry and in art (p.56).
5. The producer is not the only one to create the meaning of an image it is also made by the viewers and readers too (p. 57).
6. It is not the creation made by a producer that is “owned,” but it is the expressions of the viewer that trace back to the object or image (p.58).
7. “A producer cannot easily predict or control context in such a changeable environment” (p. 59).
8. All images are judged according to society’s interpretation of beauty (p. 60).
9. What the past deemed as childish, it is now known as “tasteful” or accepted in society (pp. 63-64).
10. The value of art can be determined by its uniqueness, style, or circulation within the world (pp.67-68).
11. “The term hegemony emphasizes that power is not wielded by one class over another; rather, power is negotiated among all classes of people” (p.76).
12. “The viewer’s process of deciphering an image takes place at both the conscious and unconscious levels (p78).
13. Appropriation is taking something without consent and changing the historical meaning  (p. 81).
14. Appropriation has been used to open the door to political art (p. 83).
15. Culture is not a set object but it’s meaning is ever changing through the interactions of people (p.85).

Reflection:

      The idea that all images, objects, creations are judged by society’s interpretation of beauty baffled me. We all have different perceptions of what beauty looks like or what it is, and our judgments may be tainted but that does not matter. How can we judge a piece of art and view it in a disturbing way when the producer of such piece felt love while creating it? Who are we to give a piece of art a different meaning? Or judge a piece without understanding the producer’s way of thinking? Art has changed tremendously, and society has allowed certain pieces of art to be admiring and valiant. I think it’s a good thing that we are all different, but to create different meanings for an image should not be our job.