27322 - Analysis of Visual Communication (1)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student has acquired various methods and techniques of analysis of visual communication, especially of photographs, drawings and graphics.

Course contents

The course aims to offer some basic tools for visual analysis.


The semiotic methodology will prevail, but it will not be the only one (as the bibliography attests).


In particular, some points will be defined:


- the conventionality of the figurative language


-the difference between figurative and figural


-the narrativity of the visual


-the mimetic dimension of visual language


The latter will constitute the monographic theme of the course, namely: how the mimetic images of reality allow the observer to be deceived.


The examples will range from the trompe-l'oeil of traditional painting to Bansky's street art, from news photographs to realistic and deceptive images produced by artificial intelligence systems.


The themes will be distributed more or less like this:


-week 1: general introduction to the visual and to the problem of the "truth" of images


-week 2: realism and trompe l'oeil in painting


-week 3: realism and trompe l'oeil in street art


-week 4: news photography and reportages


-week 5: artificial intelligence systems

Readings/Bibliography

P. Polidoro, Che cos'è la semiotica visiva, Roma, Carocci, 2008

N. Mirzoeff, Come vedere il mondo, Johan & Levi, Brescia, 2017 (ch.1-4)

P. Montani, L'immaginazione intermediale, Milano, Meltemi, 2022

G. Aiello e K.Parry, La comunicazione visiva, Bologna, il Mulino, 2023 (chpt. 3, 8, 9, 11, 12, conclusioni)

Teaching methods

The exam will consist of a written exam in the classroom: on EOL, you will be asked to analyze an image.



Only FOR ATTENDING STUDENTS in addition to the previous possibility, there will also be another possibility: Presentation in the classroom + oral

In this case, in the last days of the course, the student presents a "case" in the classroom (ppt and 15 min in total), then he will take an oral exam. The overall grade will be the result of the presentation in the classroom + the oral exam (50/50)

In this case, your presentation must be communicated by April 30th.

Assessment methods

The exam will consist of a short analytical essay (between 10 and 15,000 signs) to be done at home, which will then be discussed with the teacher.


Each student will have to identify and analyze (with the methodological tools that the course makes available) a visual text for which the question of the deception of the observer is central, reasoning on how deception is produced, what communicative objective it has, what meaningful effects it produces.
The analysis will be delivered to the teacher using the Virtual platform within 10 days before the date of the oral session.

Teaching tools

During the lessons the teacher will use power points which, on the other hand, she will leave at the disposal of the students.


You will also make use of Virtuale to share exercises or in-depth texts.

Office hours

See the website of Anna Maria Lorusso