Research On Visual Communication Of Western Learning In The Dianshizhai Pictorial

As the "Dianshizhai Pictorial," which bore the important responsibility of media during the late Qing Dynasty,it serves as a tangible source for understanding social life in that era,and the dissemination of Western learning is also a focal point of attention.The subjectivity of vision determines that it is not merely an object of observation but also a medium for disseminating knowledge and an invisible container for conveying conscious ideas.This article takes the visual grammar framework and visual metaphors as its starting point to conduct a visual grammar analysis of the "Dianshizhai Pictorial," revealing how the presentation of Western learning in the pictorial is constructed through the design of visual grammar and the metaphorical meanings hidden behind the images.Additionally,as a "news and current affairs" publication during the late Qing Dynasty,it explores to what extent the pictorial enlightened the society and its people in the realm of Western learning.This article begins by categorizing the 4,647 images in the "Dianshizhai Pictorial," identifying its diverse visual content that encompasses a wide range of subjects.Among them,412 entries related to Western learning are selected as the primary research focus.The study analyzes the visual presentation characteristics from three aspects: narrative subjectivity,timeliness,and subjectivity.Subsequently,the visual grammar framework developed by Kress and van Leeuwen is employed to examine the interactive and compositional significance of the images,exploring how the composition of the images and the interaction between readers and images guide the readers’ cognitive understanding of visual elements.The study also incorporates the relationship between language and images,considering the shared construction of meaning between the two within the context of visual grammar.Drawing on historical materials and the social context of the late Qing Dynasty,the article explores the corresponding logic between the grammar forms of the images and the cultural context.As a result,it concludes that the creators of the "Dianshizhai Pictorial" derive the significance of visual grammar design from metaphorical representations rooted in traditional cognitive thinking,with prominent influences from ancient world order concepts and Daoist philosophy.Therefore,the enlightenment of Western learning in the "Dianshizhai Pictorial" actually occurs within the framework of traditional culture and is centered around the act of viewing from an individual perspective.