Picture This: How Pictures Work

“What is red? Blood and fire. Ah. The feelings evoked in me by red all seem to be associated with these two things that have been red and only red ever since humans have been around to see them. Could the emotions brought by red be a mixture of my feelings about blood and fire? So far, they certainly seem to be.”

Bang begins this passage with a rhetorical question—“What is red?”—followed by a concise answer, “Blood and fire.” The interjection, “Ah,” suggests a moment of realization or epiphany, drawing the reader into her thought process. The repetition of “red” throughout the quote emphasizes the importance of this color in human experience and emotion. Bang uses a questioning tone to explore the connection between the color red and the primal elements of blood and fire, inviting the reader to consider their own associations with the color. The phrase “ever since humans have been around to see them” underscores the deep-rooted, universal nature of these associations.

“I finally realized that when Little Red Riding Hood is more distant from me, I don’t identify with her or sympathize with her so much as before. Distance makes the heart grow colder—not fonder. I feel less close to her, less attached to her. I am outside the picture. I have become an onlooker.”

In this quote, Bang uses personal pronouns (“I,” “me”) to create intimacy and connection with the reader. She employs a well-known idiom, “Distance makes the heart grow fonder,” but subverts it by replacing “fonder” with “colder.” This unexpected twist emphasizes the idea that emotional distance can lead to detachment rather than increased affection. The repetition of “less” in “less close” and “less attached” reinforces the theme of emotional distance. Bang also uses short, choppy sentences to convey a sense of realization and emotional disconnection. The phrases “outside the picture” and “onlooker” suggest a shift from active participation to passive observation, highlighting the impact of distance on emotional engagement.

“In reality, both the snout and the teeth of wolves are rounded; they are not honed to a sharp point as in these pictures. However, when we are in a scary situation, we see the scary elements in an exaggerated light: the attacker looks much bigger when we are afraid; the teeth or weapons look much sharper, just as when we are in love we tend to see the world ‘through rose-colored glasses.’”

Bang begins this passage by stating a fact about the physical appearance of wolves, using a matter-of-fact tone to establish a baseline reality. She then shifts to a more emotional tone, explaining how fear can distort one’s perception of a threat. The use of the inclusive pronoun “we” creates a sense of shared experience and understanding between the author and the reader. Bang employs a simile, comparing the exaggerated perception of danger to seeing the world “through rose-colored glasses” when in love. This comparison highlights the power of emotions to alter one’s view of reality, positively or negatively.

“Psychologists have found that people tend to get into more fights in bright-red and hot-pink rooms and tend to eat more in rooms with red walls than they do in rooms with paler colors. Part of the reason may be that we associate red with blood and fire, so this is a bloody, fiery eye rather than an eye associated with flowers or with the evening sky. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen drunken, bloodshot eyes, or eyes reflected in a campfire, and those were red. In some fairy tales, the eyes of witches are described as being red.”

Bang opens this passage with a rhetorical question: “How do pictures make us feel in specific ways?” This question is a hook, engaging the reader and setting up the central theme of the chapter. The use of the inclusive pronoun “us” creates a sense of shared experience and understanding between the author and the reader. Bang then answers the question with a simple, declarative statement: “We see pictures as extensions of the real world.” This assertion highlights the fundamental connection between visual representation and human perception. The phrase “structural principles” suggests that there are underlying rules or patterns that govern the emotional impact of pictures. Bang links these principles to the way humans “react in the real world in order to survive,” emphasizing the evolutionary and biological basis for emotional responses to visual stimuli. The word “survive” underscores the primal, instinctual nature of these responses, adding a sense of urgency and importance to the discussion.

“How do pictures make us feel in specific ways? We see pictures as extensions of the real world. Pictures that affect us strongly use structural principles based on the way we have to react in the real world in order to survive.”

Bang opens this passage with a rhetorical question: “How do pictures make us feel in specific ways?” This question is a hook, engaging the reader and setting up the central theme of the chapter. The use of the inclusive pronoun “us” creates a sense of shared experience and understanding between the author and the reader. Bang then answers the question with a simple, declarative statement: “We see pictures as extensions of the real world.” This assertion highlights the fundamental connection between visual representation and human perception. The phrase “structural principles” suggests that there are underlying rules or patterns that govern the emotional impact of pictures. Bang links these principles to the way humans “react in the real world in order to survive,” emphasizing the evolutionary and biological basis for emotional responses to visual stimuli. The word “survive” underscores the primal, instinctual nature of these responses, adding a sense of urgency and importance to the discussion.

“Vertical shapes are more exciting and more active. Vertical shapes rebel against the earth’s gravity.”

In this quote, Bang uses personification to give life and agency to vertical shapes, suggesting that they “rebel” against the earth’s gravity. This rhetorical device emphasizes the dynamic and energetic nature of vertical shapes, creating a sense of tension and excitement. The repetition of “vertical shapes” at the beginning of each sentence adds emphasis and reinforces the central theme of the passage. Bang’s tone is assertive and declarative, leaving no room for doubt about the impact of vertical shapes on the viewer’s perception.

“Think of the things that grow or are built vertically: trees and plants grow up toward the sun; churches and skyscrapers reach toward the heavens as high as they can go. These structures require a great deal of energy to build—to become vertical. They will release a great deal of energy if they fall. Vertical structures are monuments to the kinetic energy of the past and the future, and to the potential energy of the present.”

In this passage, Bang employs vivid examples to illustrate the concept of vertical growth and construction. By mentioning trees, plants, churches, and skyscrapers, she creates a sense of scale and diversity, highlighting the ubiquity of vertical structures in both nature and human creation. The repetition of “a great deal of energy” emphasizes the effort required to achieve and maintain verticality, as well as the potential for destruction if that energy is released. Bang’s use of metaphor in describing vertical structures as “monuments to the kinetic energy of the past and the future, and to the potential energy of the present” adds a layer of symbolic meaning, suggesting that these structures embody the dynamic forces that shape the world. Her tone is reflective and somewhat poetic, inviting the reader to consider the deeper significance of vertical forms.

“One interesting aspect of this picture is how our eye is drawn into the white triangle—and stuck there. Once inside, I’m trapped; if there had been a break in any of the enclosing black lines, my eye would have been more free to wander out and around the whole picture.”

Here, the metaphor of being “trapped” inside the white triangle emphasizes the powerful hold that the composition has on the viewer’s attention, while the conditional statement about a potential “break” in the black lines suggests a sense of confinement and limitation. Bang’s language is figurative and evocative, encouraging the reader to imagine the act of looking as a physical and emotional journey.

“The rectangular frame of the picture forms a separate world inside itself. The edges enclose our attention and force it inward, and we are (usually subconsciously) aware of the rectangle’s center. The frame creates a sort of visual conflict that can be thought of as a radial force, directing our attention inward from the frame to the midpoint.”

In this passage, Bang uses metaphor and personification to describe the effect of a picture’s rectangular frame on the viewer’s perception. By comparing the frame to a “separate world,” she suggests a sense of containment and self-sufficiency, while the personification of the edges “enclosing” and “forcing” one’s attention inward evoke compulsion and control. Bang’s use of the parenthetical phrase “usually subconsciously” implies that the viewer’s awareness of the rectangle’s center is an intuitive and automatic response rather than a conscious choice. The metaphor of a “radial force” directing attention from the frame to the midpoint emphasizes the dynamic nature of the composition.

“The closer an object is to the edge or to the center, the greater the tension. It reminds me of a golf ball on a green: when it sits comfortably far from the hole, we just look at it as a white ball on the green, but the closer it gets to the hole, the more we want to push it over the edge and in.”

In this quote, Bang uses an analogy to illustrate the concept of visual tension in composition. By comparing the placement of an object within a picture to the position of a golf ball on a green, she creates a relatable and concrete image that helps the reader understand the abstract principle. The use of the word “tension” suggests anticipation and potential energy, while the phrase “comfortably far” implies a state of equilibrium and stability. Bang’s description of the increasing urge to “push” the ball closer to the hole as it approaches the edge creates mounting pressure and expectation.

“But at the same time, both black and white are ‘noncolors,’ and both represent death. When Europeans mourn a person’s death, they wear black. Mourners in India and Korea wear white. We say ‘black as death,’ while we say ‘milk white’ or ‘snow white.’ But we also say ’dead white.’”

Bang uses cultural references and idiomatic expressions to explore the symbolic associations of black and white with death. By describing these colors as “noncolors,” she suggests absence or negation. Bang’s use of specific cultural examples (Europeans wearing black, mourners in India and Korea wearing white) highlights both the universality and variations of these associations across different societies. The juxtaposition of contrasting idioms (“black as death” versus “milk white” or “snow white”) creates tension and ambiguity, while the final phrase, “dead white,” brings the two colors together in a single, stark image.

“Bright and pale colors glow like jewels against dark backgrounds. Against white or pale backgrounds, bright colors often look washed out. There is a physiological reason for this: since white light is made of all the colors, all the color receptors in our eyes are activated and become ‘bleached out’ when we see white.”

In this quote, Bang uses a simile comparing bright and pale colors to “jewels” against dark backgrounds to emphasize their luminosity and vibrancy. The contrasting observation that these same colors can appear “washed out” against white or pale backgrounds creates a paradox and highlights the importance of context in color perception. Bang’s use of the physiological explanation for this phenomenon (the activation and “bleaching out” of color receptors by white light) adds a layer of scientific authority to her argument. The metaphorical phrase “bleached out” suggests oversaturation and a loss of distinction.

“Our skin is thin. Pointed objects can easily pierce us and kill us. What do we know that has sharp points? Most weapons are pointed: knives, arrows, spears, missiles, rockets; so are rocky mountains, the bows of boats that cut through the water, cutting tools like scissors and saw blades, bee stingers, teeth…”

In this passage, Bang uses short, declarative sentences to create urgency and vulnerability. The blunt observation that “our skin is thin” and the subsequent statement about the ease with which pointed objects can “pierce us and kill us” evoke threat and danger. Bang’s use of rhetorical questions (“What do we know that has sharp points?”) engages the reader and invites them to consider the ubiquity of pointed shapes in both natural and human-made objects. The list of examples (weapons, mountains, boats, tools, stingers, teeth) emphasizes the diversity and prevalence of these shapes, while the ellipsis at the end suggests an open-ended and potentially infinite continuation. Bang’s tone is direct and somewhat unsettling, forcing the reader to confront the inherent vulnerability of the human body and the power of pointed shapes to evoke fear and danger.

“We’ve already noticed that much of our reaction to various colors seems to result from our association of these colors with certain natural objects—that is, we associate red with blood and fire, white with light, snow, and bones, black with darkness, yellow with the sun, blue with the sea and sky, etc. I’ll call these objects ‘natural constants.’”

Bang’s use of specific examples (red with blood and fire, white with light, snow, and bones, etc.) grounds the abstract concept of color association in concrete and relatable imagery. The introduction of the term “natural constants” incorporates scientific rigor and evokes universality, suggesting that these associations are fundamental and unchanging aspects of human perception.

“Especially when we are beginning to make pictures, we feel this very strongly; it is hard for us to make one object overlap another. We want to leave each element as an integral piece, unbroken, inviolate. We want to allow space around each one. The overlapping object ‘pierces’ or ‘violates’ the space of the other, but this also joins them together into a single unit.”

Bang uses a personal and empathetic tone to describe the emotional and psychological challenges of creating overlapping shapes in pictures. The use of the first-person plural pronoun, “we,” creates a sense of shared experience and struggle, while the phrase “especially when we are beginning” suggests a common stage of development and learning. Bang’s use of strong, emotive language (“unbroken,” “inviolate,” “pierces,” “violates”) emphasizes the intensity of the feelings involved and the feelings of transgression and discomfort that can arise from overlapping shapes. The juxtaposition of these violent verbs with the more neutral phrase “joins them together” creates tension, a paradox suggesting that the act of overlapping is both destructive and creative.

“When the attacker and the victim are spaced far apart, I, identifying with the victim (which has a more human shape), have more time to be scared. There are at least two seconds now before I’ll be attacked, rather than the finest split second that I had before. We might be cornered in this picture, but there is more possibility of escape with the larger amount of space-time between victim and attacker.”

In this quote, Bang describes the effect of spatial distance on the viewer’s perception of threat and danger in a picture. By using the first-person pronoun “I” and the parenthetical aside “which has a more human shape,” Bang encourages the reader to identify with the victim and experience the scene from their perspective. The comparison between “at least two seconds” and “the finest split second” creates temporal contrast and emphasizes the psychological impact of even small changes in spatial distance. Bang’s use of the phrase “space-time” adds a scientific and metaphysical dimension to the discussion, suggesting that the relationship between space and time is fundamental to humans’ experience of the world. The final sentence, with its juxtaposition of “cornered” and “possibility of escape,” creates tension and ambiguity, highlighting the complex interplay between constraint and freedom in visual composition. Bang’s tone is both analytical and empathetic, inviting the reader to engage with the image on both an intellectual and emotional level.

“The floor is angled up to enhance the movement. Think of how much less effective it would be if the floor were horizontal.”

Bang employs contrast to highlight The Emotional Power of Visual Elements. By comparing the angled floor to a hypothetical horizontal one, she demonstrates how the diagonal line creates movement and energy, enhancing the emotional impact of the scene. Her tone is instructive and engaging, inviting the reader to consider how the composition of an illustration can evoke powerful emotional responses, emphasizing the theme of The Picture as an Extension of Real Life.

“The split at the middle of the book formed by the binding makes every page in a picture book a diptych, and the illustrator needs to be aware of this and the way the art will interact with it. So while this is a single image, in a sense, Sophie is at the center of the left panel of the diptych, and the fist of her rage is centered in the right panel. We’re aware of and affected by both aspects.”

Bang introduces the term “diptych,” which refers to an artwork consisting of two panels or plates hinged together, a form that was more common in the Middle Ages. She uses this term to describe how the book’s gutter divides each spread into two interconnected parts, emphasizing The Emotional Power of Visual Elements. By comparing the book’s structure to a diptych, Bang highlights the importance of considering the physical properties of the medium when creating illustrations that effectively convey emotion and narrative.

“Notice that Sophie tilts slightly forward at the same angle as the tree, as do the background trees; they are aligned and therefore allied with her. Sophie belongs here. The whole picture is urging her, and us, into those upper right-hand branches.”

Bang emphasizes the alignment of Sophie and the trees to create unity and belonging, underscoring The Emotional Power of Visual Elements, as the composition guides the viewer’s eye and emotions toward Sophie’s progression. The personification of the picture as “urging” Sophie and the reader forward reinforces the theme of The Picture as an Extension of Real Life, as the illustration actively engages with the viewer’s emotions and encourages participation in the narrative.

“Horizon and tree start to look like a shore and a bridge leading Sophie’s shape to a new place.”

The metaphor comparing the horizon and tree to a shore and bridge emphasizes The Primal Nature of Color and Shape. By associating these visual elements with familiar, evocative concepts, Bang taps into the cultural understanding of the emotional significance of shores and bridges, reinforcing ideas of transition and growth. The imaginative and suggestive tone encourages the reader to consider how The Picture as an Extension of Real Life can communicate complex emotional narratives through abstract visual representations.

“In a sense, the tree and its gestures are an outward representation of Sophie’s control over and understanding of her own emotional state. The tree is the vast inner steadiness that she can find in herself.”

Bang employs personification and metaphor to imbue the tree with human qualities and emotional significance, highlighting The Primal Nature of Color and Shape. By representing Sophie’s inner state through the tree’s gestures and presence, Bang demonstrates how abstract visual elements can evoke deep emotional responses and convey complex psychological themes.

“And as you go forward, remember that the tools of analysis in this book are ways of expressing the instincts we all have in common, but that as an artist it is your own instinct that will lead you as you make illustrations.”

Bang uses parallel structure in the phrases “instincts we all have in common” and “your own instinct,” emphasizing the contrast between shared and individual instincts. The tone of this quote is encouraging and empowering. Bang acknowledges the value of the analytical tools she has presented but ultimately stresses the importance of each artist’s unique instinct. By directly addressing the reader with the second-person pronoun, “you,” and by using an imperative (“remember that”), she creates a sense of mentorship and support, inviting readers to trust their own artistic intuition as they move forward in their creative endeavors.

“First, construction paper is cheap, and it is familiar. It is easy to work with and eminently nonthreatening. For many of us, cutting construction paper takes us back to nursery school or kindergarten again—to a time when we got absorbed in the task at hand, with little thought of anything beyond the Right-Now-I’m-Making-This. It was a time of great absorption, or ‘flow,’ a time when we all knew we were artists, or rather, when we didn’t worry about it one way or the other because we were absorbed not in who or what we were, but in what we were doing.”

Bang uses metaphor to compare the experience of working with construction paper to a journey back in time to one’s childhood. She also utilizes hyperbole in the phrase “eminently nonthreatening” to emphasize the approachable nature of construction paper. The tone of the passage is nostalgic, reflective, and encouraging, as Bang’s use of familiar and relatable experiences encourages her reader to embrace the simplicity and joy of creating art without self-judgment.