Making Pictures Speak
Image Theory for the Visual Arts
Pictures manipulate thoughts and feelings; that's their job. Making Pictures Speak: Image Theory for the Visual Arts explains how they do this. How do movies compel you to feel angry or happy, or why does a painting make you feel sad or hopeful? This book offers a guide to professional and aspiring visual storytellers alike, on how to control visual media, and create emotional reactions in an audience.
There are many composition books on the market, but no other book answers the question of why or how pictures work. Making Pictures Speak does this with clear, concise text and hundreds of illustrations. With examples from everything between Old Master paintings and contemporary film, and from both students and professional artists alike, this book will explain how images affect the way people feel.
I have taught image theory and been an exhibiting artist for two decades. During that time, I have developed an in-depth knowledge of art theory and history, film theory, the technical ability to create images in paint and pencil, and an eye for what makes a picture good, bad, or great. In a media saturated age such as ours, Making Pictures Speak is essential reading to understand how we are affected by imagery, and how the creators of images can affect others.
Over the years, I have been asked by students which books I recommend to learn more about composition. In the beginning, I had to answer "none" because I was unable to find any worth recommending. More recently, I have been answering: "The book that I'm writing". Now people ask, "When is your book going to be available?" Well, here it is. With over 800 illustration and nearly 500 pages, it is a comprehensive look at how pictures speak to us.
For examples and teasers of each chapter, please visit my website: www.senetchko.ca
I wish you all the best.