Accord Quote by Douglas Crimp
“To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to these pictures firsthand experience begins to retreat, to seem more and more trivial. While it once seemed that pictures had the function of interpreting reality, it now seems they have usurped it. It therefore becomes imperative to understand the picture itself, not in order to uncover a lost reality, but to determine how a picture becomes a signifying structure of its own accord.”
About This Quote
Experience is increasingly governed by pictures, which have usurped reality. Understanding pictures is vital to see how they become signifying structures.
In simple terms: Pictures have replaced reality; we must understand their structure.
Key Takeaway
Analyze how images shape our perception of reality.
Themes
Media
Photography
Reality
Representation
Semiotics
Mood
Critical
Analytical
Thoughtful
Type
Academic
Philosophical
Cultural
When to use this quote
- Media studies
- Art criticism
- Critical thinking
Key Concepts
Image culture
Hyperreality
Visual literacy
Questions to Reflect On
- How do images shape your understanding of reality?
A Different Perspective
The claim may overstate the power of images.
![“[Cindy Sherman's] photographs reverse the terms of art and autobiography. They use art not to reveal the artist's true self but to show the self as an imaginary construct. There is no real Cindy Sherman in these photographs; there are only the guises she assumes. And she does not create these…” quote by Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/163/douglas-crimp-60932_art_cindy-sherman-s-photographs-reverse-the_987958.jpg)
