Review of Picture Pedagogy

T he book Picture Pedagogy (2020) by Paul Duncum is based on two assumptions about pictures: picture power and people power. According to Duncum, picture power refers to the means by which pictures attract our attention through various visual forms, offering pleasure and even challenging our ideas; while people power refers to people’s autonomy to accept or reject the beliefs and values conveyed in pictures. In an educational context, “picture pedagogy explores key concepts and curriculum examples from across a wide range of subjects to empower readers to support students to develop a critical consciousness about images, whether teaching art, media, language or social studies” (p. xii). Based on this rationale, the content of Picture Pedagogy is divided into three main themes. The first theme focuses on the foundation of visual culture, which in turn provides a theoretical framework for picture pedagogy. The second theme consists of the analysis and discussion of specific concepts of the picture. The last theme deals with practical ways in which picture pedagogy can be integrated into the postmodern art curriculum. In this review, I discuss these themes, attempting to inspire and inform further discussion of the theoretical perspective and practice represented in the picture pedagogy.