Marlene Lawston
Unit
2 Reflection
To be visually literate, one must be
able to use analytical skills to interpret and extrapolate from an image or
images. Images are created for a variety of reasons and these analytical skills
allow for a story to be told or a message to be obtained from whatever image is
being analyzed. For example, in the analysis essay I was able to predict the
age of the girl in the painting based on details in the image, “[n]ear the
mirror away from the girl is a doll fallen over, and close to the girl by her
feet are cosmetic items such as a brush and lipstick. This indicates that the
girl has lost interest in the doll and is more concerned with the
beautification items, and that she is at the critical time in her life when she
is transitioning to a young woman.” This interpretation of the details in the
painting became important in further analysis. Many messages and stories are
conveyed through images, such a warning signs, artwork, or photographs
portraying breaking news stories; visual literacy is important because it
allows people to understand the meaning of these different types of images,
whether they are to convey a philosophical message or to send out a warning.
During this unit, my visual literacy
skills were improved as I practiced new methods of analysis such as “10 on 1,”
and applied the significance of “binaries” to my chosen image. “10 on 1” is a
method of analysis which focuses on performing a lot of analysis on a small
detail of a work of art or literature; it triggered an important “aha” moment
with regards to my analysis essay. In the image I analyzed, The Girl at the Mirror, I focused on the
significance of a small detail in the painting, the magazine in the girl’s lap
which featured the portrait of a beautiful women. I did research on this aspect
of the painting and learned that the woman in the magazine was the popular
movie star of the time period – Jane Russel. Further research led me to find
that the artist who painted The Girl at
the Mirror, Norman Rockwell, regretted the decision of painting the star in
and did not think that movie stars were good role models for young women and
girls. This research combined with analysis, led to the discovery of
significant meaning of the magazine in the girl’s lap, “the girl has her hair
up in an elaborate hairstyle that is similar to the movie star’s hair in the
magazine…the girl is trying to look like Jane Russell but her facial expression
shows that she is sad as a result of what she sees in the mirror. [I]t shows a
girl who is clearly pretty, but yet unhappy with how she looks because she does
not look like the famous movie star.” Additionally, finding binaries in the
image proved to be valuable. For example, the binary of light and darkness was
used when writing about the contrast in the girl’s pure white clothing versus
the darkness around her; the light and darkness had a parallel relationship to the
girl’s purity versus the unhappiness that comparison to unrealistic beauty
standards brings.
This essay was influenced by my
younger self. At first when I was informed of the assignment, I was unsure of
what image I would choose to analyze, however, after watching the Miss Representation documentary, I
remembered a significant childhood experience and knew right away that I would
like to analyze The Girl at the Mirror. I
remembered visiting the Norman Rockwell Museum with my mother and seeing this
painting. I always remembered how sad the pretty girl looked in the picture
because she was comparing herself to someone else.
