Image interpretation
Time: 10–20 min
Tools: Computer or tablet
Goal: Understand how text can affect a picture and consider the importance of context in interpreting images.
Transversal competences: L1, L2, L4
First impressions
Look at the photograph and think about what you see in the image.
- What is going on in the photograph?
- What thoughts or questions does the image evoke?
- If you saw this picture on Instagram, would you stop by it?
- What about an art exhibition, on the side of a bus or in your grandparents’ photo album?
- If this photograph was an advertisement, what would it advertise?
- What is the difference between an advert and an art photograph?
Discuss your observations in a group.
After the discussion, read the text regarding the artwork below.
Exhibition text from the Festival of Political Photography
Elis Sinistö (1919–2004) was a dancer, practitioner of yoga, pacifist, and vegetarian. Sinistö was a hermit mystic and outsider artist* who lived outside of society and its practices. Sinistö created a small world unto itself and lived there in a respectful relationship with nature. Sinistö felt that adhering to the values of the modern world makes people sever their ties with nature, playfulness and happiness.
[—]
For photographer Jan Kaila (b. 1957), Elis Sinistö’s world was a fairytale playground in the Kirkkonummi of the 1960s. Kaila’s parents forbade his excursions to Sinistö’s land, but they could not stop his adventures in Villa Mehu. Kaila has stated that the adults felt that there was something threatening in Sinistö. Perhaps they considered Sinistö’s lifestyle weird and contrary to society’s expectations. It feels like Sinistö turned the diagnostic gaze around, towards the society.
*in Finnish, ITE art (ITE = itse tehty elämä, literally “self-made life”). ITE art refers to art made by self-taught artists in everyday environments.
The photograph in a new light
Now look at the photo again and think about how the exhibition text affects the way you interpret the image.
- What changed in your interpretation of the photograph?
- What was about the text that caused this change?
- How does the publishing platform affect the reading of an image?
- In your opinion, is there enough room for context in interpreting images in for example social media platforms?
Discuss your observations in a group.