Section Overview

Critical viewing asks the learner to examine visuals in terms of what is being expressed about culture, sociology, and philosophy. Many images can be analyzed to examine the historical, ideological, and political representations that are contained within them. The study of deconstructing images is important in helping us to determine whether the visual is conveying the message that was intended.

Related Course Readings

Mason, Kathy (1991). Going Beyond Words. Tucson, AZ: Zephyr Press.

McKim, R. H. (1972). Experiences in Visual Thinking. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co. (Chaps 4 and 9).

McKim, R. H. (1980). Thinking Visually, a Strategy Manual for Problem Solving. Palo Alto, CA: Dale Seymour Publications.

Eysenck, Michael and Keane, Mark (1990). Cognitive Psychology: a Student's Handbook. London, Erlbaum Assoc.

Learning Activities

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Key Links

Project Zero
Harvard's Project Zero's "mission is to understand and enhance learning, thinking, and creativity in  the arts, as well as humanistic and scientific disciplines, at the individual and institutional  levels."  Research projects include an investigation of the educational impact and potential of the Museum of Modern Art's Visual Thinking Curriculum, and Art Works for Schools, a collaborative project with arts organizations and schools that focuses on teaching high-level thinking in and through the arts.

A Visual Literacy Exercise
This site was originally created for three Japanese history classes using woodcuts to study history and geography.  However the visual exercise provides good practice for developing observation skills.

Discuss the Topic

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Student Links

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