R O B E R T B E L T O N
About Dr Belton
F I G U R A T I V E
Any expression of one thing in terms of another thing, by means of language that rejects the literal in favour of a figure of speech or a trope. Strangely, audiences often forget to consider the figurative in visual images -- particularly photography -- even though they readily recognize that common speech is riddled with figurative expressions like "she was on cloud nine." Visual images are no less figurative, ranging from pure conventions like personifications to more imaginative tropes.
Artwriters sometimes use "figurative" simply to mean that an image contains recognizable images (i.e., that it is not abstract or non-objective). Since this usage does not distinguish between literal and figurative in the sense given above, it is considerably less precise.
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Sights of Resistance
Approaches to Canadian Visual Culture
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