Between Technical and Traditional Drawings

“The first are observations of objects, and the second are computations of concepts.”

Flusser’s understanding of the contrast between traditional and technical drawings is stated as, “The first are observations of objects, and the second are computations of concepts.” Originally representation was concentrated in an observational format. The hands which first grasped the bull then drew the image as they grasped the idea of the bull. This idea is represented in the two dimensional world as a drawing or a picture. From this relationship written text follows as concepts that are strung together according to rules. The written word allowed for a deeper understanding and further probe into an imagined reality. Further extrapolated from this is the technical image which takes abstract ideas and recomposes them as images.

It is at this point where I believe Flusser’s analysis falls apart. He makes several references to the cave painting as an exemplar of the “traditional” drawing as opposed to the technical image. However, without accompanying text, no one can know for sure what the purpose of cave drawings was. Perhaps they operated as a prehistorical manual for hunting techniques or identified animal herds whose migrations marked the passage of time. Either of these scenarios marks the drawings as more than simply a picture representing reality.

There is a difference between a traditional drawing that depicts a concept and a technical drawing that envisions the possibilities of a concept. While I generally agree with portions of Flusser’s stated thesis, his examples do not adequately support his argument. He cites photographs as technical images because they are “envisioned surfaces” formed by bits, particles, and chemicals, but is this reading any different than the cave drawing composed of crushed pigments?

While a drawing that simply depicts reality might not be classified as technical, almost everything created is capable of a deeper read than simple representation. In that sense a technical image is an image that illustrates a series of higher level thought processes. While this may be true, an images technicality is now a purely a subjective matter unique to each viewer. The creator of the image and his intentions are no longer relevant to the argument to its ability to convey a concept.