Linguistic: Apple, New York City
Non-coded iconic: apple, black and white, high-contrast,black background.
Coded iconic: “big apple”, imperfection,other-worldliness, infinite possibility.
Roland Barthes ideas on semiotics, or the studyof signs and the communication of their meaning, have greatly impacted visualcommunications, specifically photographic theory. By breaking down an image based on culturaland individualized symbols, Barthes aids a viewer to a better understanding ofwhat is being communicated, the possibility of where these ideas come from, andas image-makers how to better communicate with our viewer.
The first category Barthes proposes islinguistic, which looks at any text accompanying the image for two specificfunctions: anchorage and relay. Accompanyingthis image we see the name of the image-maker, the title and the year created. Here the title serves primarily as anchorageand as we read it layers of symbols unfold almost instantly. Theviewer is instantly cornered into making a connection between the words apple and New York City.
The next layer of semiotic theory isnon-coded iconic, which looks purely at what the image is; simply and directly wedefine what we are looking at. Thisimage is fairly straightforward in this sense, as it doesn’t include much else,just the apple. Additionally, the“freckles” or imperfections in the skin are fairly blatant and the apple seemsto float on a dark backdrop. Probablythe most important part for me in this layer of semiotic theory is the factthat the apple is not set straight up and down, but it is rotated on a90-degree axis thus changing the orientation and possibly eluding to somethingdeeper.
Barthesfinal stage of decoding lies in the coded iconic message, which is whereidiolect, or an individual’s unique experiences, comes into play. As someone born and raised not only in the USbut also on the east coast: Apple, NewYork City, points straight to the one and only Big Apple. Next, and more significant in my opinion, arethe imperfections of the apple’s skin, which were of obvious importance for theimage-maker due to the notable increase in contrast. For me, they begin to represent stars thus bringingabout the notion of other-worldliness or even possibly an aerial view of citylights. The viewer begins to get lost inthe infinite possibility that this photograph could represent. Another thing that I start to really takenote of is the haze around the top right of the apple. Personally, I see this as something hopeful,it gives the sense of the horizon, possibly sunrise, which indicates positiveoutcome or even the future of endeavors not yet revealed. Also, I get a strong sense of balance due tothe carefully placed highlights on both the left and right sides. So while the image is based mostly ininfinite possibility and other-worldliness, it is also very much grounded inreality.
The more I look at this image the more thingsbegin to appear but I’m not sure if it is my own idiolect surfacing to form anaesthetic experience. Primarily, on theright side of the image the base of the apple begins to form itself into aseductive, half opened mouth. Does thisspeak to the social underbelly and sexual revolution on the Bowery? Could this be Caponigrooffering a bit of social commentary on eroticism and a possible answer as towhy the city never sleeps?
Non-coded iconic: apple, black and white, high-contrast,black background.
Coded iconic: “big apple”, imperfection,other-worldliness, infinite possibility.
Roland Barthes ideas on semiotics, or the studyof signs and the communication of their meaning, have greatly impacted visualcommunications, specifically photographic theory. By breaking down an image based on culturaland individualized symbols, Barthes aids a viewer to a better understanding ofwhat is being communicated, the possibility of where these ideas come from, andas image-makers how to better communicate with our viewer.
The first category Barthes proposes islinguistic, which looks at any text accompanying the image for two specificfunctions: anchorage and relay. Accompanyingthis image we see the name of the image-maker, the title and the year created. Here the title serves primarily as anchorageand as we read it layers of symbols unfold almost instantly. Theviewer is instantly cornered into making a connection between the words apple and New York City.
The next layer of semiotic theory isnon-coded iconic, which looks purely at what the image is; simply and directly wedefine what we are looking at. Thisimage is fairly straightforward in this sense, as it doesn’t include much else,just the apple. Additionally, the“freckles” or imperfections in the skin are fairly blatant and the apple seemsto float on a dark backdrop. Probablythe most important part for me in this layer of semiotic theory is the factthat the apple is not set straight up and down, but it is rotated on a90-degree axis thus changing the orientation and possibly eluding to somethingdeeper.
Barthesfinal stage of decoding lies in the coded iconic message, which is whereidiolect, or an individual’s unique experiences, comes into play. As someone born and raised not only in the USbut also on the east coast: Apple, NewYork City, points straight to the one and only Big Apple. Next, and more significant in my opinion, arethe imperfections of the apple’s skin, which were of obvious importance for theimage-maker due to the notable increase in contrast. For me, they begin to represent stars thus bringingabout the notion of other-worldliness or even possibly an aerial view of citylights. The viewer begins to get lost inthe infinite possibility that this photograph could represent. Another thing that I start to really takenote of is the haze around the top right of the apple. Personally, I see this as something hopeful,it gives the sense of the horizon, possibly sunrise, which indicates positiveoutcome or even the future of endeavors not yet revealed. Also, I get a strong sense of balance due tothe carefully placed highlights on both the left and right sides. So while the image is based mostly ininfinite possibility and other-worldliness, it is also very much grounded inreality.
The more I look at this image the more thingsbegin to appear but I’m not sure if it is my own idiolect surfacing to form anaesthetic experience. Primarily, on theright side of the image the base of the apple begins to form itself into aseductive, half opened mouth. Does thisspeak to the social underbelly and sexual revolution on the Bowery? Could this be Caponigrooffering a bit of social commentary on eroticism and a possible answer as towhy the city never sleeps?
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