Reading the language of images

Jammi Holmes, Andrew Schoultz, Jake Troyli

Info: The act of seeing is not a passive encounter but an active interpretation, shaped by our experiences, beliefs, and histories. To see is to engage with the world, and our interpretations are profoundly influenced by the visual traditions we inherit. Art invites us to navigate these interpretations, prompting us to reconsider how and why we see the way we do. In the tradition of European oil painting, the act of seeing was, for the longest time, closely tied to power and ownership. These paintings depicted the wealth, privilege, and ideals of their time—portraits of aristocrats, opulent interiors, and grand landscapes—affirming the social order and celebrating the power of their patrons. Portraits, landscapes, and still lifes were constructed to affirm a specific vision of the world – one of control, dominance, and clarity. The ownership of these paintings, and the subjects within them, epitomized the wealth and power of their patrons. Oil paints ability to capture intricate details, luxurious materials, and lifelike textures, became a tool for both the display of affluence and the reinforcement of social hierarchies. These images often concealed more than they revealed, subtly upholding the racial, gender, and class disparities that underpinned the world of their creation. (…)