Read ‘The Rhetoric of the Image’ by Roland Barthes in your course reader.
According to Richard Salkeld (2013) – ‘Reading Photographs’ ‘Metaphors of seeing and looking are intrinsic to our conceptualization of understanding‘. Images emphasise both the subjective and the objective, with the camera embracing both of these – a point of view, a vision, a moment in time selected by the photographer. The value of any advert depends upon the objectivity of the photographer. We all know that images are manipulated which only reinforces the argument that is any image really a true representation. Therefore any form of photographic imagery can be interpreted in more ways than one – and who is to say which way is correct?
Joseph Margolis (1980) takes a position on the truth and falsity of interpretation – ‘the position that interpretations are not so much true or false as they are plausible (or implausible), reasonable (or unreasonable)‘. This according to Margolis will allow the viewer to look for the true interpretation and consider the alternatives.
Terry Barrett (2003) in ‘Criticizing Photographs’ disagrees with the terminology of an image being true or false but prefers to use the terms such as plausible, interesting, stating ‘good interpretations are convincing and weak ones are not‘. He goes on to describe two criteria by which individuals can appraise interpretations: correspondence and coherence. An interpretation ought to ‘correspond’ to and account for all that is included in the image and the relevant facts pertaining to the picture, ‘if any items in the picture are not accounted for by the interpretation, then the interpretation is flawed‘. I feel as if I can fully agree with this point.
For his second point – coherence, Barrett states that ‘interpretation ought to make sense in and of itself, apart from the photograph’. That is, it should not be inconsistent or contradictory. It can be said that all interpretations are arguments, hypothesis which is hopefully backed by evidence, cases that can be built from an understanding of the image based on the interpreters experiences.
Roland Barthes in his work entitled ‘Rhetoric of the Image’ tries to examine and understand the messages that images – in this case advertising and commercials – try to contain. He asks ‘how ideologically charged are images and do they transmit an educational message to society‘
The essay focuses on commercials as they contain highly condensed images that aim to maximise efficiency in the minimum of time, often employing highly charged and intensive images in order to convince the general public to purchase. Barthes argues that commercials or advertising has to be able to speak in a ‘conventional language, use conventional terminology and transmit its message fast….’
Roland Barthes deconstructs a Panzani advertising image and extracts the types of messages contained within it in order to illustrate the ‘rhetoric’ of the image. Though advertisements have a deliberate ‘signification’ or meaning generated in order to sell a product, Barthes’ analyses can be used to understand how messages are conveyed in other types of images.
When looking at the overall sign of the advert, the reader, in this case the general public, understands from its composition and its placement in a magazine that it is an advertisement. However, beyond this the Panzini advert sends three types of messages: the linguistic message and two types of iconic message.
Within the linguistic message, which is the caption, the copy, or the title, are two types of messages at work:
- a) The denoted message, which is the literal meaning of the labels on the produce – in this case the name of the company, Panzani.
- b) The connoted message, which is the sociocultural and ‘personal’ associations drawn from the label or text. For example, the word ‘Panzani’ in the illustration connotes Italianicity.
The linguistic message here is – this advert is for an Italian food company.
When the viewer looks at the advertisement, the visible items (the signifiers) represent what they are signifying in reality. The signifier and signified are one and the same, thus providing a non-coded message, and the ‘realism‘ of the image makes it appear to be a ‘natural‘ scene rather than ‘socially and historically‘ constructed. Surprisingly, there is no code to decode at this level because a photo of a tomato represents a tomato. As Barthes says ‘We need no other knowledge than what is involved in our perception.’ Once the iconic sign (the signifier) are recognized you can understand its meaning from its similarity to its visual reality – the signified item. The items provide an innocent, iconic non-coded message and a realistic context in which to present the overall message. The message in this case is ‘the scene itself, literal reality.’
Barthes points out that, when you analyze the pure image, you can distinguish four main signs that, although discontinuous and not linear, work together to create a coherent message:
- Because of the visual composition, the scene represents the idea of a return from the market. This is a ‘signified’ item – in this case an overall meaning created by a number of signifiers. The return from the market further signifies product freshness and home-made food.
- What signifies the return from the market? We arrive at this connotation by way of a signifier – the half open shopping bag with the contents spilling out. However, in order to ‘read’ this sign, we have to understand what the shopping bag represents and the culture around ‘local shopping’, as opposed to the bulk supermarket buys.
- The colours red, green, and white are known to relate to or signify Italy, or rather “Italianicity.” They work to enforce the linguistic connotation of the sign Panzini.
- The close proximity of the items suggests or signifies that Panzini provides a total culinary service and is your solution to a quick, fresh, home-made meal.
The viewer derives the message from the visual connotations or suggestions provided by the chosen objects, their particular arrangement, their signifiers, and what they signify. From the coded message we receive the idea that Panzini provides fresh, home-made, authentic Italian meals.
Bibliography
References
Salkeld, R. ‘Reading Photographs: An Introduction to the Theory and Meaning of Images’, Fairchild Books, 2013.
Margolis, J. ‘Art and philosophy’, Humanities Press, University of Michigan, 1980.
Barrett, T. ‘Criticizing Photographs: An Introduction to Understanding Images’. McGraw-Hill. 2003
Barthes, R. ‘Rhetoric of the Image’ course reader
Michele Usher 