This is a beautiful painting of Paris that I currently have hanging on my wall in my tiny dorm room. This artwork elicits a sort of emotion and everyday when I see I am affected by the image before me. Herrick’s definition of rhetoric as being “a systematic study and intentional practice of effective symbolic expression” demonstrates how this work of art is actually a form of rhetorical discourse. Not only is the artist using his talents to express himself in this painting, but by because I placed this artwork in my room I, too, am utilizing a form of rhetoric.
Rhetorical discourse has five main defining characteristics. They are that rhetoric is planned, adapted to an audience, shaped by human motives, responsive to a situation, and persuasion-seeking. It is obvious that a painting this detailed was well thought out before-hand. The artist probably planed out every brush stroke in order to ensure that the painting would turn out how he planned. This is especially important because it illustrates how every single thing illuminated in this artwork was calculated and has a purpose. This leads to the next point about the audience. I originally bought this painting on the streets of Paris in one of their quaint art fairs. The artist not only knew who would most likely be walking around the art fair, but who would be most likely to buy their painting. Although many Parisians enjoy their art, it is unlikely they would be seen perusing the stands of one of the most crowded areas. The people who generally visit these shows are tourists with a passion for the arts. The artist construed (correctly at least in my case), that their consumer would be someone who loves Paris for its romanticized ideals. It’s a person who loves the city and its idealistic history. This understanding of the audience then leads the painting to be shaped by human motives. The motive for the artist is to not only sell the painting, but express a certain ideal. Since the target audience is generally someone who would agree with the painter’s ideal this is very simple. He constructs a work of art that looks as if it is a real-life portrait taken in the 20th century. The black and white also conveys the old time feel while the red contrasts lends itself to creating a beautiful sight that has romantic undertones. This vision of old-time Paris is one that makes the viewer believe this is the Paris of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Salvador Dalí even Ernest Hemingway. This vivid image is response-inviting for the viewer. They are immediately transported to another time and can feel the excitement of the period. The artist’s inner expression elicits a certain emotion from every viewer. This leads to the final point of persuasion-seeking. The painter’s two goals of sale and self-expression are their own form of persuasion highlighting Herrick’s main focuses on appeals, arrangement, and aesthetics.
With all of these ideas in mind, the painter was able to create a profound piece of art that conveys a certain feeling to the viewer. Not only does the painter have a larger purpose for the construction but so do I as I place it on my walls. It’s not only a beautiful landscape but a telling of my innermost ideals. It shows my love not only for the city but the time period and romanticism in general. By placing it on my walls, I could want the viewer to see me as a cultured idealist who dreams big. Or my main purpose could be more geared toward myself in ensuring that I remember this idea and possibly the good memories I had in Paris. Either way there are a multitude of examples of rhetorical discourse being utilized through common imagery that can be seen in daily life.
Cassidy Lynn 