“the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.”
” visual rhetoric is the use of visual images to communicate meaning.”
Today I feel like I’m at the point in the Lectures where I need some plain English…unfortunately that’s not happening! (no disrespect is directed towards my expert lecturers who really know their stuff) I am beginning to wonder if it’s because I am attempting to complete a degree course with its basis in art (everything gets explained in a very overly descriptive way or ‘a bit flowery’ as my mum would have said!) or whether my age and intellect is just letting me down? Either way I will still try to complete this week’s task but have a feeling I may have to consult the dictionary again for sure!
My chosen Photographer is Jane Bown. This woman seemed to have the most amazing talent for capturing wonderful moments with her clients. Most of her iconic shots are in black and white but in such a short space of time with her clients she always managed to ‘find’ something striking. I feel sure that some folk with a camera just have ‘it’ (whatever ‘it’ is) and others have to try an awful lot harder. Currently I’m not sure I am even in the running!
The image I have chosen is of Anthony Frederick Blunt (1907 -1983). I particularly like this image because he is looking beyond the camera, a visual rhetoric which is very effective.
Blunt was a professor in the history of art and after working for MI5 secured a position as the ‘Surveyor of the Kings Pictures’
The image that Bown took of him is quite poignant he is sitting at a desk with a book which has the royal monogram on it. The light is coming from the window with broken shadow falling across his face, leaving a shaft of light on his eye which almost makes him look as though he is peering through a keyhole. His hand is placed on the highlighted book which is in complete contrast (antithesis) to the tense shadows on Blunt himself making him a very mysterious looking figure, which projects further contrast to his job title,
but considering that in his later years he was revealed as a Russian spy The image puts him in quite a fitting light.