Visual Communication: ITAP Lecture 7

PRODUCTION AND INFLUENCE

The 5 key principles we talked about in the ITAP lecture this week were Interpretation, Delivery, Medium, Testing and Methodology. I have decided to talk about Interpretation and Testing.

Interpretation

Interpretation is an explanation of meaning and a particular view of an artistic work. Another word which is worth to mention and which is connected with interpretation is Zeitgeist (it refers to ideas and spirit of the age or spirit of the time, it indicates a certain period or place).

The work of any artist is influenced by the surrounding world, it should reflect media, politics, cultural and artistic aspect at the time. Therefore interpretation of one story can be created in various ways. However the content should always match within the era of production. Also the way the story is introduced to the audience is changing. Nowadays it can be expressed by communicating online, magazines, posters, t-shirt prints, film etc. It means it can be displayed on a diverse range of platforms such as photography, media, fashion, advertising, animation. Not only the story interpretation and messages sent are different but also the feedback/response from the viewer is changed.

Interpretation of a historical content involves understanding the character in more defined lines. As my example i have chosen to use the Disney tale of Snow White. It Is a story known worldwide created in Germany and was first originally illustrated by Alexander Zick in the 19^th century. The image is powerful but on the other hand simple and primitive, we can see the lack of techniques which were available at that time. Not long after this we can see an alternative interpretation illustrated by Franz Jűttner.

Below we can see another version of an altered character portrayal of Snow White. This one depicts her as a bad character and is called the Dark Princess. It has been created by Artist Laura Ambros in the gothic approach.

Australian artist Courtney Brims' imagined the Snow White influenced by Victorian style and exaggerated the red apple, emphasising in symbology in the tale.

The Snow White story has been created in many different mediums including film, photography, animation and advertisement.

Two movies where released in 2012.

Mirror mirror is a fantasy comedy based on fairy tale ‘’Snow White’’ directed by Tarsem Singh. In this interpretation the seven dwarfs are replaced by seven resourceful rebels who are enlisted by the Princess, Snow White, to help her win back her birthright.

Then later in the year ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ was released. Created by Rupert Sanders, this offered a fresh, somewhat dark and interesting twist on the old fairy tale. Continuing the theme of a love story the handsome prince is replaced by a ‘rugged’ huntsman who having aided the evil Queen to capture the princess ultimately falls in love with her, helping her to defeat the wicked queen and win back her Kingdom.

Animation created by Disney.

Annie Leibovitz inspired by Disney World created a series of fairytale photos including Snow White. These pictures illustrate well the various interpretations of the ‘mystique’ of Snow White

Barbie doll 'Snow White'

In each example we can clearly see reused and rehashed interpretation which communicate a new deconstructed meaning. Each time it presents a new twist, point of view, more detail and use of technology.

Testing

Testing is extremely vital for visual communicators. Illustrators, photographers, animators or graphic designers displaying their work throughout websites, blogs, exhibitions, galleries. this helps to see how it looks integrated in various ways. It enables feedback and reaction from the potential audience. It shows how successful we are and gives us confidence to develop our ideas or plan how to progress forward.

Nowadays it is very popular is to have a personal blog, website, Facebook or Twitter page to post the work. It provides easy access to people around the World. Below is a print screen of my photography page on FB.