Theories of visual culture and social semiotics - Assignment Example

Infusing the visual culture studies especially in art education involves embracing the postmodern conceptions and posing a challenge to the modern ideals. Also, it involves the instructions whereby there is knowledge sharing among all the learners. The images are critically examined with intelligent and understanding actions as the aim rather than artistic appreciation. One of the main aims of art facilitators is to involve students in learning activities, both through and in art. Nevertheless, most of the facilitators do argue that visual culture art education offer a successful means of engagement.

Although the lessons may originate from the visual culture theory, they may result in the lessons which may go back to modern concepts and ideas as well as principles of formal design. However, one of the key shortcomings of the programs is caused by the counterfeit logic that may result from the use of the formalistic theories so as to discuss and understand very well the concept of visual culture and postmodernism(Pincus, 2011). The visual culture theory usually requires that the artwork should be put into consideration in relation to the social context and the social context.

Cultural studies The theory of visual culture is critically indebted to some form of cultural studies. In essence, the idea of cultural studies is a very complicated and interdisciplinary field. It was first discussed in England in early 1960s, but currently it is a global field of study. It is mainly concerned with giving significance to cultural practices in terms of people’s experiences as well as the structural dynamics of modernize society. According to Harrison, (2003), he argues that the theory bases on the belief that the society should be structured and that the signifying practices should be seen as a means of maintaining and establishing power.

However, people can interpret for themselves. The latest studies on visual culture, which emerged in the mid 1990s, are much diversified and it advocates most on the critical edge of the cultural studies. A visual culture study, as a field, encompasses two main principle concerns. These are the visible objects and our perception on them; normally called the ‘seen and the seer’. With this respect, visual culture studies have no significant difference from other philosophical studies. This is because its concerns aim at giving a clear description of the objects under study and their natural aesthetic gaze.

However, the main difference is the fact that visual culture studies put into consideration a lot of artifacts and several ways of appearance as opposed to philosophical aesthetics. The studies of visual culture address the inner meaning of the images in photography, advertising and painting. Visual culture refers to those cultural aspects which are manifested in visible form i.e. paintings, photographs, prints, video and scene images. They mainly focus on images themselves so that they can bring out the cultural link attach to them (Herrmann, 2005).

At some instance, it is very difficult to distinguish regalia from images. This is because some images appear real since they give an expression and representation of constituted reality (Pincus, 2011). The approach of visual culture from the visual culture studies begin and end with the contemporary cultural sites.