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Visual Culture
Visual Culture is an introductory textbook book on visual literacy, exploring how meaning is both made and transmitted in an increasingly visual world. It is designed to introduce students to the analysis of all kinds of visual texts, whether drawings, paintings, photographs, films, advertisements, television programmes or new media forms. The book is illustrated with copious examples that range from medieval painting to contemporary record covers and is written in a lively and engaging style, avoiding unnecessary jargon. The first part of the book is concerned with differing theoretical approaches to visual analysis, and includes chapters on iconology, form, art history, ideology, semiotics and hermeneutics. The merits and disadvantages of each are discussed, and there is a special focus on one seminal writer for each topic. The second part shifts from a theoretical to a medium-based approach and comprises chapters on fine art, photography, film, television and new media. These investigate the complex relationship between reality and visual representation. As a whole, this textbookbrings seemingly diverse approaches together under one roof while ultimately arguing for a polysemic approach to visual analysis. Each chapter concludes with a section of recommendations for further study. Visual Culture provides an ideal introduction for students taking courses in visual culture and communication in a wide range of disciplines, including media and cultural studies, sociology, art history and design.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 30, 2018
Visual culture
This comprehensive, sophisticated and eminently readable book is an analysis of what everyone sees but almost no one notices. It explores key ideas, key questions and key texts. The breadth of this book, accessibility and usefulness of this book for study is imperative. I certainly found it highly readable, deeply informative and richly illuminating. It covers all the analysis of all visual text –from drawings, to paintings, photographs, films, adverts etc. It also includes different theoretical approaches, including Iconology, form and history, ideology, semiotics and hermeneutics. It is in-depth about the relationship between visual culture and reality, by exploring how texts communicate.
Writers use grammatical units, a cornucopia of grammatical devices for the written word. We become visually illiterate is we don’t read the ‘signs’ of visual imagery. This book looks at how meaning can be found with introspection, and how we ‘read’ something. It looks at iconic people such as Panofsky when studying iconology.
Anyone studying English literature, writing and media studies should definitely add this book to their reading lists, as it is illuminating and informative for a contemporary culture.
This comprehensive, sophisticated and eminently readable book is an analysis of what everyone sees but almost no one notices. It explores key ideas, key questions and key texts. The breadth of this book, accessibility and usefulness of this book for study is imperative. I certainly found it highly readable, deeply informative and richly illuminating. It covers all the analysis of all visual text –from drawings, to paintings, photographs, films, adverts etc. It also includes different theoretical approaches, including Iconology, form and history, ideology, semiotics and hermeneutics. It is in-depth about the relationship between visual culture and reality, by exploring how texts communicate.
Writers use grammatical units, a cornucopia of grammatical devices for the written word. We become visually illiterate is we don’t read the ‘signs’ of visual imagery. This book looks at how meaning can be found with introspection, and how we ‘read’ something. It looks at iconic people such as Panofsky when studying iconology.
Anyone studying English literature, writing and media studies should definitely add this book to their reading lists, as it is illuminating and informative for a contemporary culture.
November 29, 2025
the authors are such yappers holy fucking shit…… but i enjoyed reading this book you can really tell it was made with love
December 22, 2025
Instead of actually reviewing the book this seemed like a great place to make an overview of all my favorite quotes that my professor said during his lectures (which were based on this book!)
“prego vibe”
“I’m very into anorcho-syndicalism”
“his job is robbing drug dealers, which is one of the cooler jobs to have”
“when you see it you’ll shit bricks”
“not the most popular war I think”
“no little girls were harmed in the making of the picture"
“That’s one of the things nice about filmstudies, certainly not the well paying job prospects afterwards”
“another weird French guy, basically”
“evil super-nazi German dude”
“for those of you who haven’t seen the film, I majorly have spoiled it here”
“ghosts tend to be pretty unrealistic”
“Italian neoliberal cinema”
“Is anyone here Polish? Good.”
“Disney is an evil company”
“prego vibe”
“I’m very into anorcho-syndicalism”
“his job is robbing drug dealers, which is one of the cooler jobs to have”
“when you see it you’ll shit bricks”
“not the most popular war I think”
“no little girls were harmed in the making of the picture"
“That’s one of the things nice about filmstudies, certainly not the well paying job prospects afterwards”
“another weird French guy, basically”
“evil super-nazi German dude”
“for those of you who haven’t seen the film, I majorly have spoiled it here”
“ghosts tend to be pretty unrealistic”
“Italian neoliberal cinema”
“Is anyone here Polish? Good.”
“Disney is an evil company”
April 3, 2011
I don't remember the last time, a "text book" was this interesting. I just finished reading Visual Culture and it more than made for interesting reading. It is a thickish book - and I'll admit - it seemed daunting when I picked it up.
There is however an ease to the presentation that Richard Howells achieves, which slips you in comfortably, into the intricacies and complexities of Visual Culture. You are better off reading this book with an Internet connection handy, since not all references are available in the text - for reasons explained in the book: to keep the cost of the textbook down for the benefit of the students.
The book is divided in two parts - the first deals with the theory of visual culture - almost like defining the elements of grammar that we would learn for language and the second part takes up various media that allows us to practice this grammar on them.
In the theory section, Howells covers iconology, form, art history, ideology, semiotics and hermeneutics as the tools of the trade. As soon as we use the word theory - it bring up all possible guards for most of us. However as Howells says:
Howells lives up to this premise all through the book. The tools in the first part are well-employed in the second part - media - where he covers fine art, photography, film, television and new media. There is ample historical reference to all media - and the understanding of the media from the point of visual culture is well-contextualised.
One of the most important aspects of the book, however, is that Howells goes through the motions of introducing us to the theories and their sub-theories; he convinces us about the potency of the theory, and as we are about to be convinced of it, he flips it - and asks us to look at the opposite side of it - with equal conviction. He forces us to consider a theory in its own right - and demands that we draw our own conclusion and the application of a theory to a media form.
If you are new to visual culture and are intrigued by it, this is definitely a good start. Remember to have an Internet-enabled device handy. The references are many and useful.
There is however an ease to the presentation that Richard Howells achieves, which slips you in comfortably, into the intricacies and complexities of Visual Culture. You are better off reading this book with an Internet connection handy, since not all references are available in the text - for reasons explained in the book: to keep the cost of the textbook down for the benefit of the students.
The book is divided in two parts - the first deals with the theory of visual culture - almost like defining the elements of grammar that we would learn for language and the second part takes up various media that allows us to practice this grammar on them.
In the theory section, Howells covers iconology, form, art history, ideology, semiotics and hermeneutics as the tools of the trade. As soon as we use the word theory - it bring up all possible guards for most of us. However as Howells says:
Do not be afraid of the word 'theory'. Yes, it can sound dauntingly abstract at times, and in the hands of some writers can appear to have precious little to do with the actual, visual world around us. Good theory however, is an awesome thing. [...] But unless we actually use it, it borders on the metaphysical and might as well not be used at all.
Howells lives up to this premise all through the book. The tools in the first part are well-employed in the second part - media - where he covers fine art, photography, film, television and new media. There is ample historical reference to all media - and the understanding of the media from the point of visual culture is well-contextualised.
One of the most important aspects of the book, however, is that Howells goes through the motions of introducing us to the theories and their sub-theories; he convinces us about the potency of the theory, and as we are about to be convinced of it, he flips it - and asks us to look at the opposite side of it - with equal conviction. He forces us to consider a theory in its own right - and demands that we draw our own conclusion and the application of a theory to a media form.
If you are new to visual culture and are intrigued by it, this is definitely a good start. Remember to have an Internet-enabled device handy. The references are many and useful.
November 14, 2021
I read Visual Culture over the course of almost a year, picking it up chapter by chapter in between novels or other texts I was reading. The arguments and discussions brought up by Howells and Negreiros are fascinating, well researched and entirely approachable, albeit slightly outdated when it comes to the second section regarding Media. I wish this text was introduced prior to my degree in art history as it has invaluable information about visual culture in general and the study and appreciation of many forms of art, media, theory and history. I definitely recommend it as a back-burner book to pick up here and there when you’re in between books, bot as a book to sit down and read cover to cover as it’s a bit hard to digest that way.
October 3, 2017
Goede overview als het gaat om verschillende methodes binnen culturele analyse. Sommige elementen werden echter ingewikkelder of vager gemaakt dan dat ze in werkelijkheid zijn. Maar erg fascinerende informatie die relevant is voor iedereen.
March 29, 2021
The author explains the concepts in a really approachable way without losing the academic
Currently reading
January 20, 2022370.155 H8596v 2019
July 26, 2011
Perfecta colección de reflexiones sobre la cultura visual en la que estamos inmersos. Entretenido y muy didáctico.
November 10, 2014
Useful introduction
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews