Kollar 1

Alex Kollar
11 October 2016
COMM 312
Annotated Bibliography

Anderson, Peter A. Beyond Criticism: The Activist Turn in the Ideological Debate.
Western Journal of Communication 57, no. 2 (1993) : 247-256.
This article provides a unique perspective into the use of ideological criticism.
The author, Dr. Anderson (a former Professor of Communication at San Diego State
University) begins by talking about subjectivity vs. objectivity in the world of rhetorical
criticism and defends ideological criticism as a viable, in-depth method to analyze
rhetoric. He goes on to talk about his person experiences of being an ideology-based
political activist and an objective academic professor. Throughout his article, Anderson
makes important points regarding how our ideologies shape our actions and culture.

Dewitt, Lloyd. Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus. Philadelphia: Yale University Press,
2011.
This book contains a complete, detailed history and analysis of Rembrandts Head
of Christ paintings. In the forward, the contributors define it as an exhibition dedicated to
fully understanding the significance of Rembrandts depictions of Christ. It contains in-
depth information regarding how Jesus was commonly perceived in art during
Rembrandts time, technical analyses of the paintings physical makeup (paint,
brushstrokes, wood, canvas, etc.), the history of Rembrandts depictions of Jesus
throughout his career, and explores the reasons as to why he chose to shift his portrayal of
the Son of God. Throughout its pages are well over 100 images of Rembrandts paintings
and sketches, including the main artifact that is the basis of the papers analysis.

Engbers, Susanna Kelly. Branded: The Sister Arts of Rhetoric and Design. Art, Design
& Communication in Higher Education 12, no. 2 (2013) : 149-158.
In this article, Dr. Susanna Kelly Engbers, of Kendall College of Art and Design,
explains how rhetoric and design are far more similar than they are different. She goes on
to break down the fundamental principles of rhetoric to then compare those elements to
the process of artistic design. Her main argument is that product branding is a powerful
example of the great marriage of rhetoric and art. This will provide a strong foundation
for how visual rhetoric is broken down.

Framing. CommunicationTheory.org. Last modified 2010.

http://communicationtheory.org/framing/
One important part of this paper will be to explain, in detail, how Rembrandt
strategically presented Jesus in his paintings. This source provides insightful information
about the rhetorical act of framing a text or artifact to alter the perception of an audience.
Using this argument, I will be able to drive home the effectiveness of Rembrandts visual
rhetoric and how the framing, in general, shifts our thinking and decision-making
processes, whether we realize it or not.
 Kollar 2

Gallagher, Victoria and Zagacki, Kenneth S. Visibility and Rhetoric: The Power of
Visual Images in Norman Rockwells Depictions of Civil Rights. Quarterly
Journal of Speech 91, no. 2 (2005) : 175-200.
This article describes the power images have in shaping an entire nations mindset
of current and past issues or events. Norman Rockwell was a famous American painter
whos iconic images of the Civil Rights Movement so powerfully captured the nations
atmosphere at the time, that when modern Americans gaze upon the works seem to still
feel the emotions of that time. Gallagher and Zagacki argue that Rockwells images fall
into the category of political statements and show that visual rhetoric is indeed
powerful, but placed in a certain context, framing a specific narrative, during social
unrest, imagery can cause a pivotal shift in a populations worldview and be identified
with that moment in time for generations.

Gibbs, Linda Jones. Visual Narratives from the Life of Christ. Brigham Young
University Studies 33, no. 3 (1993) : 468-479.
An important aspect of my approach will be talking about how the figure of Jesus
Christ is still prominent throughout todays art community. This article shows a collection
of modern works that draw from aspects of Jesus life. This will provide an interesting
perspective into the analysis and allow for another comparison to Rembrandts depiction.

Nichols, Aiden. The Art of God Incarnate: Theology and Symbol from Genesis to the
Twentieth Century. New York: Paulist Press. 1980.
A crucial part of this papers argument will be about the importance of visual
rhetoric in how it relates art and religion, especially in the Christian tradition. This book,
written by Aiden Nichols, an English academic and Catholic priest, explores the
pervasiveness of images within our lives and throughout human history. In his
exploration he goes into scripture and shows how often imagery and metaphor are used to
explain biblical narratives. This text also provides a glimpse of the Catholic Churchs
relationship with religious imagery, mainly icons. Iconography will be a main topic that
will be discussed in the paper and Nichols rhetoric will provide a unique perspective for
the cultural analysis portion.

Wessels, Anton. Images of Jesus: How Jesus is Perceived and Portrayed in Non-
European Cultures. Translated by John Vriend. Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990.
This book takes a step out of the Western-European context to explore the way
Jesus is depicted within different cultures and religions throughout history. Anton not
only describes the physical traits Christ acquires in different contexts, but also the role
that He plays in each populations spiritual narrative. From describing how the Messiah
figure has vastly different meanings to Africans brought to America as slaves than to
Africans who remained in their respective tribes and countries, to why the historical
figure of Jesus influences Judaism differently from Islam or Taoism, this text will provide
vital information and images to show how visual rhetoric is shaped by a peoples
experience and is the reflection of their core, spiritual beliefs.