This article begins with the assumption that visual discourse is a question of exploring the hermeneutic potentials and epistemological emergence of images as depending on individual perception, ways of seeing, and social interaction, strengthening their agency to ascertain the power, significance, and recognition of images as aesthetical symbols, as meaning-making processes. Studying how people transform visual experiences in ambiguous narratives about images, we present a case study about two worldwide known Portuguese artists (Helena Almeida and Jorge Molder) in which we understand the notion of the agency of image as an original means of interpreting social and cultural experiences. We developed an image based analysis grounded in the principles of a critical discourse analysis, contrasting the visual image with their textual readings.

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agency, meaning, perception, textual discourse, visual discourse, image based analysis, Helena Almeida, Jorge Molder