9-25-2010

"A caption frames how one should "read" an image, foreclosing certain possibilities and narrowing interpretation as much as possible...Even when words are literally absent in Protestant imagery, textuality is not."

Morgan, David.

C: In this passage, Morgan argues that a caption connected to any visualization is ultimately meant to guide the viewers perceptions; that it allows minimal free-thought, and instead forces the reader to view the object as the creator or commenter would like it to be viewed. Morgan believes that in fundamental Protestantism, the Bible serves as this caption, but is almost a caption to life as a whole.

He uses Anderson's "God's Two Books" perfectly to show this. Although the artist likely is implying that Nature and the Bible are both reflections of God, Morgan argues that the Bible creates a caption to nature and the whole world. In the image of a woman gazing into the woods, the Bible does not allow her to see anything else but the human-form of God. Ultimately, it is the covenant one makes with the image, but this covenant is formed by the provided text.