Three little words--vision, perception, seeing.

Abstract

Vision, perception and seeing are everyday words, especially important to those in the image creation business. Vision, here, is used to describe the physiological process of image formation in the eye, and its subsequent projection to the brain for further action. Visual perception is a process driven by sensation with its outcome dependent on judgements based on the perceiver's situational experiences. It is a complex involving cerebral interpretations of a series of retinal images. Seeing is an intellectual exercise strongly influenced by perceptions and cultural experiences. It may be expressed in several ways, among them, verbally and pictorially. Some individuals acquire these expressions at an early age, but for most it must be learned. In the sciences, clarity is important, while in the fine arts, subtlety, and sometimes obscurity, are often sought. In all instances, the image maker is a communicator; and if the message is not received by a prepared viewer, the creator has failed. An understanding of seeing is an important mechanism in the process of image creation. An attempt will be made in this paper to advance an understanding of this process.