How Images Create Meaning: The Educational Power of Visual Language

Abstract

This text explores the power of visual language and the discursive forces that determine how images generate multivocal meanings. The essay’s objective is to analyze how images, whether static, like photographs, or moving, like films, not only represent reality but constitute a language in themselves, shaped by specific subjectivities and contexts. The theoretical approach is based on the semiotic  premises of authors such as Peirce and Barthes, as well as on the dynamics of visual power proposed by Giroux and Foucault, who argue that images are devices that shape both perception and discourse. Throughout the essay, it is argued that images are subject to manipulation and saturation, drawing on Fontcuberta’s concept of post-photography and often being interpreted superficially, with some examples provided. This underlines the need for a deeper discursive analysis that considers intentionality, context, and the viewer’s experience. In conclusion, it highlights that images should be understood not only as representations but as powerful discursive tools with a significant pedagogical and cultural impact. This analysis promotes a critical reading in the educational field, emphasizing their role in visual education and in the construction of contemporary subjectivities.