Tracing the Image: From Early Expression to Today

Reflections from the Bardo Museum

Recently, I visited the Bardo Museum in Tunis. It was my second visit, seventeen years after the first, and in the meantime, I had changed a lot, accumulated more experience, and developed a deeper understanding of art. Walking through the museum, I was confronted with massive mosaics, intricate floor and wall designs, and countless depictions of gods, humans, and everyday life from the Roman period. This experience prompted a series of reflections that I have gathered here — about the evolution of images, their purpose, and how they communicate.

When we look at an image, what are we really seeing? A work of art, a story, a belief, or a tool of influence? Images have changed in form, purpose, and production throughout human history. They can express emotion, communicate ideas, record memory, or persuade viewers. My reflections are shaped not by academic research but by personal observation and experience.

The Origins of Expression

The earliest images were made for one simple reason: expression. Cave paintings and wall drawings in ancient settlements were attempts to preserve experience, emotion, or memory. They were not made to be admired or sold. Without writing, images became a way to communicate across time.

Before Tunis, I visited the excavation site of Çatalhöyük in Konya, Turkiye. Walking through the remains of these ancient houses, I saw walls adorned with drawings — a triangular big mountain, clusters of squares representing houses, and other symbolic depictions. A mountain painted on a wall is more than just a landscape — it is a narrative, a memory, and a record of human experience. In this context, the image is both a communication tool and a personal expression, preserving the thoughts and fears of someone from nine thousands years ago.

Belief, Gods, and Everyday Life

As human societies developed, images began to carry not just personal expression but also belief. For example, in the Roman period, gods, myths, and metaphysical ideas entered domestic and public imagery. Walking through the Bardo Museum, I was struck by how mosaics and wall art portrayed deities alongside humans, often in very humanized ways.

For example, Dionysos — the god of wine and abundance — frequently appears in domestic spaces, particularly in kitchens or dining areas. These depictions are not merely decorative. They are intentional: by showing the god in a place associated with nourishment, the image invokes abundance and prosperity for the household. The visual reference is a subtle form of invocation, a reminder of divine favor integrated into everyday life.

What fascinated me most was how these gods were portrayed almost like members of the household. Dionysos, holding a cup of wine or grapes, sometimes smiling, sometimes interacting with people in the scene, appears alongside animals and other figures. At a glance, one could mistake him for one of the household members, blending divine presence seamlessly into ordinary life.

These mosaics were commissioned by the wealthy, which also highlights another shift: production moves from individual creation to collaborative, artisan-based work. The image reflects both the desires of the commissioner and the skill of the craftsman.

Transformation of Meaning: From Rome to Byzantium

A striking transformation occurs in the transition from Roman to Byzantine periods. Techniques, mosaic methods, and certain compositional structures continue, while the meaning of figures changes. Everyday scenes give way to sacred narratives. Mother-and-child compositions begin to represent holy figures. Human figures become saints; children become angels. The visual structure remains similar, but the layer of meaning changes.

Storytelling and teaching become more prominent. Visuals no longer only represent belief; they also begin to communicate religious narratives. Compositions supported by saints, sacred scenes, and texts remind viewers of specific stories or make them visible. The guiding power of the image increases, functioning as part of religious practice and as a narrative form of visual communication.

From Figure to Abstraction: A Different Direction

In different geographies, the direction of the image changes in various ways. In some traditions of Islamic art, especially in religious architecture and sacred contexts, a distance from figurative representation led to the development of alternative visual languages. This is particularly relevant in the Bardo Museum, where after exploring Roman and Byzantine collections, I encountered Islamic-era works that reflected this shift. These pieces highlight calligraphy, typographic compositions, and geometric structures.

This does not mean that figures disappear entirely. Figurative narration continues in many traditions, such as miniature painting. However, in certain contexts, writing, rhythm, and abstract order come to the foreground instead of figures. The image becomes a powerful visual expression even without direct figuration, showing that meaning and communication can be carried through alternative forms, shaped by religious and cultural frameworks.

The Modern Era: The Image as a Tool of Persuasion

As societies evolve, the function of images evolves too. In the modern era, another function becomes more visible: persuasion. With advertising and mass communication, images begin not only to express emotions but also to shape them.

This does not mean that pure expressive forms disappear. Art continues to carry individual emotions. However, a significant portion of the images we encounter daily are produced to communicate a message, support an idea, or encourage behavior. Consider an advertisement. A scene representing a certain lifestyle is presented alongside a product. This image is not merely aesthetic; it carries a message. The visual aims to evoke a specific emotional response.

The Changing Producer

As the meaning of images evolved, so did the way they were produced. At first, people created images themselves. If they wanted to show a mountain, a god, or a memory, they drew it directly. The image was personal, immediate, and intimate.

Then, as societies grew, wealthy patrons began commissioning images. Artisans and workshops produced mosaics, frescoes, or paintings. The image shifted from being a purely personal expression to a collaborative effort, reflecting both the desires of the commissioner and the skill of the craftsman.

Industrialization allowed production at scale. Multiple copies could be made, and images could reach public spaces or broader audiences. Technology shortened production time, enabled reproduction in different sizes, and changed how people experienced them.

Digital tools expanded possibilities even further. Images could be manipulated, enhanced, and shared instantly. Finally, artificial intelligence arrived. Today, a few words typed into a system can generate a fully realized image. What once took days, weeks, or months of human labor can now be done almost instantly. Even with these changes, human intention, curiosity, and imagination remain at the heart of creation. AI extends human ability rather than replacing the creative impulse entirely.

A Bird’s-Eye View

It is not possible to reduce the journey of the image to a single line. The image changes alongside human needs. Fears change, beliefs change, societies change, technology changes. Images evolve in parallel.

Perhaps the most interesting part is this: at the beginning, the image expressed the inner world of humans. Today, it often becomes a tool through which the external world shapes the inner world of humans. And this transformation is still ongoing.