TV is Chewing Gum for the EyesBy: Haley Myers1st period

Background• The image was created by Vincent Rhodes as a PhD project.

• Rhodes sought to create new non-traditional images, often simplistic with great meaning, during his journey as a doctoral student.• The quote “TV is chewing

gum for the eyes.” was originated by Frank Lloyd Wright.

• Wright was a famous architect, who created houses out of geometric shapes that contrasted with the organic shapes in nature.

Layout• Foreground: In the foreground

is the blue text box with the quote “TV is chewing gum for the eyes.” Also the bubble with the TV inside of it could be considered foreground

• Middle ground: In the middle of the picture is the young girl blowing the bubble.

• Background: In the background on the left side is never been chewed gumballs, and on the right there is already been chewed gum.

Omission: The child’s mouth is omitted completely. The person who created this could have chosen to not show any of the mouth so you focus more on the bubble and her eyes.

Focus

I think there are many possible focus points in the image, but the main focus is the bubble with the television inside of it because it is in the center and the first thing you see. Also the bright blue text box at the bottom of the picture could draw the attention of the viewer. The child’s wide eyes also draw attention because they contrast with her dark skin, and they draw you in.

• What do you think is the focus?

Purpose

I think that the photo was created to show how TV is appeals to the adult eyes like bubble gum appeals to a child’s eyes. Children see the bright pieces of gum in a machine and want it right then, just like an adult sees a new television or new show and they want it right then. Also in the end bubble gum can ruin your teeth as a child and television can ruin your morals as you watch so much of it.

• What do you think is the purpose?

Audience The audience of the picture is anybody

that comes across it on the internet. Since people of all ages watch TV it can pertain to everybody and make them question themselves on how much they have changed because of TV.

Appeals Logos: Logos: The picture

appeals to your logics because it makes you think of how impulsive you are when it comes to watching TV or wanting something like a child is when they see bubble gum or candy.

Pathos: Pathos: This appeals to your emotions because you wonder if the shows that you watch have in some way corrupted your morals.

Juxtaposition & Symbolism

Symbolism: Symbolism: The un-chewed gum symbolizes a new television or a new show that comes on TV that draws our attention to it and makes us want to either buy it or watch it. The chewed gum to the right symbolizes a show that has lost its excitement and no longer interests us, like an old piece of gum.

• Juxtaposition: Juxtaposition: The un-chewed bubble gum to the left is juxtaposed with the already chewed gum on the right side.

Color The main colors used in the photo are

blue, pink, green, white, and yellow. All these colors are found in a gumball machine but also on a blank TV screen as seen inside the bubble.

Contrast

In the photo the bright colors of the bubble gum and text box contrast with the dark color of the child’s skin. Since the child is so much darker than her surroundings it creates a pop with the viewer’s eye. If a lighter or whiter child was used then her skin color would not contrast so much with the lighter colors that were used and it wouldn’t stand out as much to the eye.

• Why do you think the person who created this picture chose to use a darker child instead of a white child?

Questions Why do you think

the creator chose to use a girl instead of a boy?I think that he chose to use a

girl because a girl represents innocence and sweetness and since he is trying to show that TV corrupts your morals like chewing gum ruins teeth he wanted to use something that was easy to corrupt like a little girl.

The eye’s of the child are wide as if the is concentrating on something or focused on something that the viewer cannot see. Her eyes look almost like the blank stare that a person gives the television when they watch it.

• What is the significance of the child’s eyes?

BibliographyDigital Cross Rhodes. Vincent Rhodes. 2009. Wordpress. 29 October 2010. web.