Anne Frances Wysocki Response

Anne Frances Wysocki Response

Summary:

In the article The Sticky Embrace of Beauty Anne Frances Wysocki argues for a different side of visualization or understanding. Wysocki discusses beauty, aesthetic, and form throughout the article. She speaks beauty and what it truly is and how we should see it. Wysocki uses multiple authors to support her opinion and side of visual discussion. She talks about looking at beauty as imperfection’s and not just a focal background or “blank page” of beauty as she calls it. Also she discusses form that is grounded in a local and particular realm rather than that of the universal. She talks about this idea of universal seeing and understanding. This concept that everyone understands and knows beauty universally or throughout society. She uses authors like Kant in her discussion or argument; she quotes Kant for saying that the judgment of beauty is inherent and “universal”. Kant says this happens when someone sees and gets pleasure out of something and its form. This allows the object said to be beautiful to be made abstract and distanced. This means you see it for its beauty and image only and make no relation or feeling towards the object. Wysocki argues that teachers shouldn’t teach students about visual design and accepted rules for visual arrangement. She says we should instead question the social and cultural practices that supposedly make something beautiful. She says we should examine things as strange and look for wait stands out of the frame not just what is lying in the center. She feels that using form or the idea of a blurred imagine of beauty is a cover up and hides reality of imperfections and strangeness to the social norm. We should make and see things for being visually pleasing and stimulating. Also that we should analyzing and attempt to make what we take for granted unfamiliar to us so that we might see and appreciate its differences as more as “beauty”. Wysocki shows how form is rhetorical, controlled by choices made in history and cultural context. Wysocki feels we should try and jump out of this accepted idea or ideas and look for things that are real and strange to us instead of social norms and fake images of perfection.

Synthesis:

This article is similar to the Kant article in that she takes his ideas and thoughts from him and uses some of his concepts as her own. She feels some of his ideas and worth’s are good but the majority is her arguing against his concepts because he was sexes and didn’t see women in the picture as well as failed to analyze beauty in correct formats. Although this is true for her article she does use his ideas and concepts of central images and how images were placed or how it is placed can affect its appeal or meaning. Also she discusses form and background of images and puts this in to context to help drive her point of beauty and strangeness in images as well as the universal system of nature.

2. Questions for Discussion and Journaling:

This article is set up in a purposeful manner to use visual appeal and directedness toward key points and issues. Wysocki purposefully sets it up with images and examples to help explain her point and also give an easier and more direct summary of what she states. Also she places dull gray or highlighted marks or sentences of worth as well as to help give meaning to past sayings. This is a high visual appeal I think because it has bold print for its titles and all the other examples I listed earlier. Also she sets it up in a certain organized flow that everything works great together and can easily relate back to her past topics and discussions. Wysocki does a good job of setting up a high visual setting and making certain things standout to the reader more than others.

2.      Applying and Exploring Ideas:

I think that it can go with both actually it is hard to pick between the two. I think that some beauties are universal like having your own kid or like the concepts of shapes discussed In Wysocki’s article. That we have this natural appeal to these things because of nature for instance the idea of round objects appeal to us humans because it reminds us unconsciously about our mothers and being in the womb. How this was so comforting to us that we later find things similar in shape and form naturally appealing. Although I believe this I also believe that we ourselves form beauty due to society and what is considered beautiful and jaw-dropping. That all these tv shows, magazines, actors, models and so forth affect us and make us have this image in our head of how we should be and look when in fact nobody actually looks this perfect for everyone has imperfections. I think that both of these points of socially and naturally formed beauty are true but I also believe that most beauty comes from the eye of the beholder. I think that as we grow we discover things and principles that are attractive or pleasing to us. These concepts or elements then go hand in hand with our desired beauty or what we perceive as beautiful.

Wysocki states, "There is no question that there is a certain necessity to effective visual composition because a design must fit a viewer's expectation if it is to make sense… but if design is to have any sense of possibility—of freedom—to it, then it must also push against the conventions, the horizon, of those expectations" (97). How does this statement apply to Wysocki's article? Does it apply to any other visual art? If so, how? 

Meta Moment: This applies to Wysocki’s article because although she talks about beauty among people to be what is socially accepted she also discusses how it is to be what is strange to us. This strangeness is extremely important and valuable because it is what jumps out or stands out to us. This standout or jumping appeal to our eyes is what we call visual appeal this is in fact beauty and recognized as such not so often but Wysocki feels that it should be. That we shouldn’t see beauty through magazines and these blurred forms of “others” but instead see the differences and qualities that jump out for what they are and represent. This realm or concept of strangeness gives us the idea of beauty and attractiveness to self but instead of seeing it to ourselves we should attempt to have it noticed and formed in others socially and universally.

Opinion on Article:

I think this is by far the most confusing article I read. The terms and concepts in this article were ill explained and presented with very hard vocabulary. She spoke to the audience as though we were all experts or had a very good idea of visuals. This was annoying and bothered me while reading but I tried re-reading some parts and looking at the examples. I will admit the quotes and examples she used did help a lot with my understanding and it made the article easier to read. The article was slightly dry and elongated but the overall idea and meaning of it was useful. I think that how she argues for visuals and how she argues against it make a lot of sense. Also that these concepts she presents we should do and attempt to give to students are true and useful. Thinking on this I believe the article was useful and moving in my thought process of visual aspects and appealing. This article was drawn out and hard to read but overall gave good insight on visual and past arguments about it and current ones. I think it was a useful read and has altered my perception and changed my idea of beauty to notice the strangeness and things that standout to me.