Representation, Abstract, and Symbol

The scientific illustration above serves as a perfect example of a Representational image as it is an image based upon an actual fish-- the aesthetic and characteristics of the fish are not manipulated in any way. More importantly, the artist made sure to accurately depict the shape of the fins and color of the scales. This allows the viewer to recognize that the details make it a pigfish. If the viewer happens to have any experience with pigfish, then the image will link to memories of seeing or even fishing this particular species. For most people, however, the image will be recognized as a general fish because it is a flat, finned and scaled creature that clearly thrives in water. These visual details are imperative because they allow the viewer to quickly determine what the illustration is based upon.

"Bat" by Bryant Devlin Malloy does not look like much of a bat at all. Despite its third eye, vivid colors and monster-like teeth and horns, the piece mirrors the image of a bat in that it has long ears, pebble eyes and a round head like most other bats. However, the basis of the creature is a bat, and has been creatively driven so far from that it seems to be merely a suggestion. Malloy's image is considered abstract because he alters and unrealistically exaggerates features of an actual bat. The circular pools of red, purple and golden pattern that work from the center of the bat's face, and the long, blue-ribbed tongue that drops past its head are not any feature that a bat in our reality has. Additionally, the third eye placed decoratively on its forehead and the larvae-like details placed all around the eyes and nose are abstract features. Possibly, a viewer who did not know the title of the piece could guess that out of any animal, it is a bat; the ears are perhaps the only feature that strongly indicates that.

This swooping black-line image is a symbol, and it represents the concept of infinity. The infinity symbol is universal via mathematics. In equations and graphs, the symbol may be used to represent "potential infinity." It is able to denote something that is difficult to explain with words, and as a universal symbol, it surpasses language as it is the same everywhere. Mathematicians in any nation, among any culture around the globe are able to use and understand mathematic codes. These codes are represented simplistically with black lines being that they serve to communicate shared knowledge and are written in problem-solving quite frequently. The infinity symbol is among a wide array of simple and universal mathematical symbols.