Celia Wilson
VISUAL LITERACY
Lecture Two - Key Histories
DR. TERRY SPEAKE
Definitions of Visual Literacy:
John Debes - VL refers to a group of vision-competencies, a human can develop by seeing and at the same time having other sensory experiences e.g. sound.
- The development of these competencies is fundamental to normal human learning.
- When developed, these competencies enable a visually literate person to interpret the visible actions/objects/symbols in the environment. Able to communicate with others.
M Augerihou - VL is the ability to interpret, negotiate and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image (extends the meaning of literacy - normally written). VL based on the idea that pictures can be read.
James Elkin - Understanding how people perceive objects, interpret what they see and what they learn from them.
Images that can be 'read':
- Egyptian art was layered with symbolism. It involved the viewer understanding a complex visual grammar beyond the simple figurative representations.
- Roman and Greek sculptures mastered realism, and their art was narrative, often representing the mundane.
