Chapter 2 summary of Understanding Comic - Essay Example

The Vocabulary of Comics In this chapter the basically continues the idea of first chapter and put focus on some more ideas behind comics and what are the different ways to present different meanings. The writer starts the chapter “The Vocabulary of Comics” with an explanation and illustration of the Magritte painting, "The Treachery of Images." Though the theme of the painting is a ordinary pipe, the artists note reads, "This is not a pipe" (MacCloud, 24). As the writer provides details, this actually is not a pipe, nor is it a painting of a pipe.

It is in fact ten copies of a drawing of a painting of a pipe. Scott made use of this instance to show one of the numerous uses of icons, or images used to characterize a person, thing, place or idea. In this chapter the writer describes that there are three different kinds of icons which are Symbols, including peace symbols, party logos, and the similar, are one type. The letters of the alphabets and mathematical operators and numeric are the second type. The third and the last type of icons are the pictures which are the images designed to actually look like their subjects.

The writer looks in detail at the conception of the artistic types that are Language, realistic art and icons and symbols, and the standards behinds these forms. The writer explains that there is a big variation between realism and abstraction, and this chapter explains how the more abstract art of cartoons can often let for a improved expression of standards than to their basic form and focus on only significant details. This basic form also allows a wide categorization of their images, letting more people to willingly understand them and to see themselves in the artwork, explaining why people have such an association with cartoons particularly at a young age.

The writer also looks at a number of comics and their creative merit on a degree between ‘reality, sense and the picture plain’ and how diverse position on this scale can create an range of meanings to different people. In the same way, we took a look on how different types of animations or artworks are used in a variety of customs to impact on their audience in definite ways. For example, how Disney would use big eyes and other attractive features on little Simba in the Lion King movie to appeal to the younger audience, or how Japanese manga will use colorful face alterations in an extremely abstract form to appeal to the funny side of the Japanese youths.

Fundamentally, the focus of the writer in this chapter was to detail how comics use the concept of abstraction to focus more on thoughts at the back of the artwork and how different delivery of these images can direct to different understandings, both imaginatively and intellectually. The writer basically explains that artists can use imagery or use many other ways of displaying and depicting their art to make the watcher approach and appreciate their art and pieces in many ways. Work Cited MacCloud, Scott.

 Understanding Comics: [the Invisible Art]. New York: Harper Collins, 2006. Print.