Directive Pictures

doi:10.1111/j.1540-594X.2003.00151.x

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Wiley InterScience

Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism

Volume 62 Issue 2, Pages 189 - 196

Published Online: 5 May 2004

Published on behalf of the American Society for Aesthetics

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ABSTRACT

Pictures are principally descriptive. Advertising images highlight features of potential purchases; cartoons open portals to scenes in fictional worlds; snapshots in the family photo album remind us of our past selves and landmark events in our personal histories; works of pictorial art express thoughts or feelings about depicted scenes. In addition, pictures serve a directive or action-guiding function that, though not taken into account by theorists, deserves no less attention than their descriptive one.¹ Theories of depiction and the appreciation of pictures stand to benefit by taking "directive pictures" into account, as do theories of representation in general and mental representation in particular.

Received: 28 February 2002; Accepted: 09 September 2002;

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

10.1111/j.1540-594X.2003.00151.x About DOI