7 Principles that feel oh so familiar

When I got done reading Duncum's article for the first time I couldn't help but feel that I had read the article before. However something also felt different, and seemed obvious and staring me right in the face even though I couldn't see it. I also figured I wasn't reading something that was literally just the same, surely it was picked out to open another view. It wasn't until my second read that it hit me.

I Propose seven principles for examining various forms of imagery, whether they are drawn from fine art or popular culture, [whether they are] vernacular or indigenous, past or present. 

This article is about viewing art.
Throughout the entire article it all revolves around viewing and understanding art.

Duncum describes seven principles not as end all truths but as a means which we can harness in our curriculum as ways to think about art. The seven principles are Power, Ideology, Representation, Seduction, Gaze, Intellectuality, and Multimodality.
Power seemed to be primary and major player out of all the principles. As he states "Power is central to a consideration of imagery because all images involve an assertion of ideas, values, and beliefs that serve the interests of those for who they are made and audiences, in there turn exercise the power of interpretation." As I soaked that statement in I couldn't help but almost agree. I thought back to the statement Lyria made about loving impressionist art. It didn't matter what any of the artist were (or where not) trying to say in their work or what her art history friends believed. She was (or should be) using her own power to ignore all of that and appreciate it on her own terms. However I do have a somewhat disagreement with Duncum's view on Multimodality. In VTS we don't have viewers know the name of the image or have them listen to music and neither of those seem critical for them to read the images. Even when he states that "Words, music and sound effects anchor the meaning of images." I feel that is also somewhat contradictory to what he already said. Viewers use their own power to determine what an image means regardless so how does it truly anchor a meaning?

I decided upon two images actually for this week. Both are by the same artist, Andres Serrano, and both don't lack controversy. I feel either would be prime for use with Duncum's seven principles.

Piss Christ 1987 Andres Serrano

Klansman (Great Titan of the Invisible Empire) 1998 Andres Serrano