On The Image Rhetoric Theory Of E.H.Gombrich

E.H.Gombrich referred to the analysis of rhetoric composition and figures of speech when he discussed the art history and artistic works.On the basis of Aristotelian theory,he used Burke's new rhetoric for reference,attaching importance to the communication and interaction of rhetoric,emphasizing the effect of image rhetoric on narration,the emotional arousal to the audience and the satisfaction of their needs.He regarded rhetoric as the basic constituent element of the world,and the rhetorical composition of images and figures of speech as the representation of the"schema" that dominated the art world.Therefore,the history of changing art styles became the rhetorical upgrading.Gombrich attached great importance to analyzing images from the perspective of rhetoric,focused on the artists'use of it and formed its own theory.This article's purpose is to study his theory of image rhetoric,and lead a comprehensive grasp of his whole image theory,so as to explore its value and significance.First of all,Gombrich's image rhetoric theory draws on two major rhetoric traditions.He was inspired by Aristotle,who sffessed the emotional and ethical value of rhetoric when proposing three means of persuasion.Meanwhile,Kenneth Burke's new rhetoric let Gombrich discover that the image rhetoric brought the communication and interaction,and constituted the world.In the study of image rhetoric,we also find that Roland Barthes once discussed image rhetoric,which carried out the analysis of image rhetoric composition and figure of speech.Therefore:,this paper constructs the full-text keel with the help of this framework.However,Gombrich's theory of image rhetoric is inseparable from his artistic thought.The transformation of artistic schema proposed by him is actually the change and upgrade of rhetoric,while the historical situation theory lays the foundation for interpretation.In Gombrich's analysis,light,shadow and color dominate the composition of image rhetoric.Light is the key factor to distinguish between image reproduction and imitation through color suggestion,while the shadow is the coordination and supplement of image narration.Color creates a buffer zone,controls the relationship between light and shadow and makes spatial effects.They are basic elements of the image,but also bring more than their own.Gombrich also frequently used figures of speech analysis,which constructed a self-systematic world of image rhetoric.In this world,he regarded metaphor as a basic figure of speech,and symbol as a systematic product of metaphor.Symbol constructs the deep interpretation and becomes a competitive force to distinguish illustration and representation.And because of the western thinking and language,personification has been popular since ancient Greece and its production has become the "link" of religious traditions.In comic art,Gombrich thought rhetoric is everywhere,and regarded traditional cultural foundation as the ultimate weapon of cartoonists,while metonymy,empathy and metaphor became the gun rack carrying this weapon.But Gombrich also saw that rhetoric brings a hidden danger to the image.It does make the image have the evocative potential,but it also distracts the image,hinders the expression and weakens emotion.In addition,in recent years,there have been endless arguments and criticisms about images.Compared with words,images do have limits in information transmission,and the intentionalism tendency of Gombrich's theory has also caused question and criticism.However,he insisted all the time that the flaws outweigh the defects.Both images and texts need the support of context and experience in interpretation,and the information exchange and transmission brought by images also has its unique side.Because of the existence of rhetoric,the fascinating magic of the image never dies,never changes.