On The Idea Of Picture’s Subjectivity Of Mitchell,W.J.T.Thomas

The development of video technology has made picture occupy an increasingly important position in contemporary culture.The study of picture which originating from the West has also become a frontier hot topic in current domestic literary and cultural studies.Among the many theories that have flooded into the country,the theory of the subjectivity of picture proposed by Mitchell,W.J.T,who is the representative of the American School in the file of picture study,which has realized the transformation of pictures research paradigm,indicated possible new directions for picture research,and fits the current picture reality,that has become an important resource that cannot be ignored in the research of picture in current domestic studies.Mitchell’s idea of the subjectivity of picture is a natural result of the development of contradictions that could not be resolved in his early study which pay attention to the relations between language and picture.In his early research,Mitchell paid attention to the relationship between language and picture,trying to liberate picture from the shackles of language and give picture an independent status through the comparative.In order to give the picture complete independence he also proposed pictorial turn and meta-image,and this two concept is also the place where Mitchell has gone the farthest in the study of the relationship between language and picture.However,because linguistics or semiology as a research template has always been embedded in Mitchell’s early research,that Mitchell’s attempt to give the picture independence theoretical experiment ended in failure.The unresolved contradictions in early picture research and the development of reality prompted Mitchell to formally turn to the study of the subjectivity of picture,and built a relatively complete theoretical framework.The idea of picture subjectivity is based on Foucault’s criticism of the subjective person,and also supported by Sigmund Freud and Gil Deleuze’s desire theory.Supported by those metaphysical theory,the subjectivity of pictures means picture are alive and desireable.Under the vision of picture subjectivity,people construct idolatry,object worship,or totem worship as a cognitive model.Extending to the field of vision,the visual under the idea of picture subjectivity is the unity of the social construction of vision and the visual construction of society.The value and significance of Mitchell’s idea of picture subjectivity is that it not only achieves the transcendence of Iconology,but is also a critical supplement to Visual Culture.The idea of picture subjectivity expands the focus of picture study,liberates the picture from the dual picture-language research paradigm,fits the development of the reality,and achieves the transcendence of Iconology.At the same time,the idea of picture subjectivity also points out the theoretical inertia of the current visual culture,and critically supplements the current visual culture by proposed the social visual construction.Mitchell’s idea of picture subjectivity breaks through the traditional picture research that regarding picture as absolute objects.He regards picture as subjects with life and desire,and restores the important role of picture in the construction of human cognition.Today,picture’s reality is increasingly subverting human’s traditional cognition,the theory focus in the subjectivity of picture,proposed by Mitchell undoubtedly has important practical significance.