Masked Metaphor Analysis

Masked Metaphor Analysis

The image above quite literally shows a framed painting placed alongside a row of television screens. However, upon further speculation this image can actually be considered to be a metaphor. The metaphor was created by the substitution of a television, an object present in this scene, with a painting, specifically one which belongs in a museum. The seemingly outrageous placement of this object creates a juxtaposition which emphasizes an underlying meaning.
The scene was located within the Student Center game room, where students are often found playing video games on the television screens. In this setting, it is typical to see electronic devices, not a classical painting hanging beside them. It is also a place of entertainment, for students to relax and enjoy themselves. This choice of placement conveys a message towards the way people, especially teenagers and young adults, view technology. Television is something which is kept sacred by their viewers, and often framed or put on a pedestal to emphasize their importance. People depend on electronics such as television as a source of entertainment and is potentially seen as a work of art. This is similar to the nature of the portrait of Mona Lisa, which is heavily guarded in the Louvre and, in the image, has a "Please do not touch" sign attached to the frame. In a sense, the cultural importance of the painting is nearly equal to that of a television screen. Also, prior to the technological age, the main source of entertainment was found in paintings and other works of art. This irony is exemplified by the image and comments on our shift in dependence from art to technology.
The reading from "The Genealogy of Postmodern Theory" defines a metaphor as a paradigmatic substitution which involves a perception of similarity. For example, by substituting one object with another, we are able to make mental connections between the two and the similarities become apparent, which creates a metaphor. Thus, the paradigmatic substitution of a television for The Mona Lisa creates a similarity, linking them with a metaphor for our obsession with technology and the way we treat it as a sacred work of art.