Ancient Chinese, Greeks, and indigenous peoples used visual languages like flowers to communicate messages that could not be spoken aloud. During the Victorian era, the language of flowers was used to convey sentiments through different colored flowers without directly speaking them. To understand the messages in visual languages requires being visually literate by analyzing elements like oak leaves representing strength or white lilies symbolizing resurrection. While visual languages were once used out of necessity, today digital and media literacy is needed to avoid manipulation from images, texts and sounds.
Ancient Chinese, Greeks, and indigenous peoples used visual languages like flowers to communicate messages that could not be spoken aloud. During the Victorian era, the language of flowers was used to convey sentiments through different colored flowers without directly speaking them. To understand the messages in visual languages requires being visually literate by analyzing elements like oak leaves representing strength or white lilies symbolizing resurrection. While visual languages were once used out of necessity, today digital and media literacy is needed to avoid manipulation from images, texts and sounds.
Ancient Chinese, Greeks, and indigenous peoples used visual languages like flowers to communicate messages that could not be spoken aloud. During the Victorian era, the language of flowers was used to convey sentiments through different colored flowers without directly speaking them. To understand the messages in visual languages requires being visually literate by analyzing elements like oak leaves representing strength or white lilies symbolizing resurrection. While visual languages were once used out of necessity, today digital and media literacy is needed to avoid manipulation from images, texts and sounds.
words, ancient Chinese, Greeks, and indigenous peoples of North America uses “visual languages” to communicate before. According to Greenaway 1884, during the Victorian era, “Language of Flowers” is used when a message couldn’t be spoken aloud in Victorian society. oak leaves = strength
purple roses = sorrow
white lilies = resurrection
pale yellow tulips and rosemary =
memory or remembrance To successfully understand the message behind the “visual languages”, being a “visual literate” or “visual literacy” is needed. There are differences between Victorian era and 21st century. Today, we don’t analyze smoke signals or bouquet, but rather the texts, images, and sounds to create a meaningful decision. Differ in necessity.
In Victorian era, one did not need to be
literate in language flowers to live a fruitful life, but to be not a media and digital literate nowadays makes one vulnerable to manipulation.