ext_90731 ([identity profile] cktraveler.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] sophiaserpentia 2004-07-26 12:21 pm (UTC)

So, in a way, it is kind of like looking at a comic strip. A comic strip is nothing more than a flat plane with various colors on it; it is a whole and undifferentiated object. However, by choosing to interpret a black line as demarcating the edges of an object, we can perceive characters, backgrounds, and scenes. This would be mental focusing of one's attention on the area within a black line and interpreting that area as something discrete unto itself.

In this, we are then able to understand the meaning of the comic strip as a whole and how it relates to the object -- for instance, by isolating the individual elements, examining them, and comparing them, we can understand that this is a joke about military discipline or a chapter in the continuing story of a detective, and what role each character and prop has in the telling.

In the case of a comic strip, the black line has become so ingrained within us as a demarcator (within me, anyway) that it is difficult to perceive the comic as meaning anything other than what it is. However, I wonder about van Gogh in relation to this concept, although I can't articulate why I make that connection.

Am I understanding correctly? I think I need to read this myself.

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