Word and Image

Abstract

Written words and representational images reflect two distinct aspects of pictures and they serve different functions. Words represent categories of objects whereas images are particular instances of them. Despite this disparity both written words and representational images are pictorial . The different types of picture can be considered as either stylised, like the letters of written language, or spatialised, like drawings, paintings, photographs and digital images. Stylised images are based on convention: the letter shapes in one language might be quite different to those in another, but both can be arranged in a sequence to refer to the same class of objects. Spatialised images like photographs retain some projective features of the objects represented but this is rarely the case with stylised images. Both words and images fool the eyes by suggesting closer connections to their referents than exists. As was discussed in Chapter 1, words and images were set in delightful opposition by René Magritte in a series of pipe paintings in which a pipe shape shared the canvas with painted text stating that it was not a pipe. As we know from the vast array of typefaces available, there are many ways in which the letters from the same language can be shaped, and this richness is amplified when hand written letters are included. Artists have capitalised on this visual capability and have added their own variants.