Semiotic is a general science of symbols, of their production, transmission, interpretation and how we communicate through an object or an image. Semiotic is the discipline that studies the phenomenon of meaning. For meaning, we mean the relation between something physically present and something absent for example the red traffic light mean “stop”; every time we activate a communication process ( the light is red, so I stop the car ).
The underlying argument behind the semiotic approach is that since all cultural objects convey meaning, and all cultural practice depend on the purpose, they must make use of signs.; and as they do, signs must work like language and words. Therefore, signs must be able to be interpreted and analysed.
The definition of the relation between sign and semiotic of Pierce take place with three elements: Representamen, the physics part; the object, a referent where the sign is referring; the interpreted, what comes from the sign or generate the sign.
Despite different approach used by various semiologist, it is possible to say that the Greimas theory collects all the agreement parts of most theories. What is unanimously accepted is that to analyse a paint we need to concentrate on the expression of the image, understand for which reason the piece it has been made: conversational, for religious purpose or express something political so that you can adopt the suitable strategy.
All the text in a painting is a carrier of a semiotic meaning, the semiotic in painting study the hidden marks and its significance.
The sign is the relation that includes signifier and signified; the signifier is a concept, an idea, an expression of something ( of a material object, of a living thing, of an action, etc. ) that materialise through the signified that does exist as the bearer of meaning.
Bibliography
Wk 3 semiotic CTS, Moodle
Umberto E., A Theory Of Semiotics, 1975
Alessandro Casagni 