A statue or painting inspired by a divine figure is known as an image.
The concept of image has its origin in the Latin imāgo and allows us to describe the figure , representation , likeness , aspect or appearance of a certain thing. To give some concrete examples: “This image represents the fall of the Berlin Wall” , “You are the spitting image of your father” , “I need an image to illustrate my idea” .
The theory says that an image is also the visual representation of an element that is achieved from techniques framed in photography , art, design, video or other disciplines: “Here we see the image of the moment in which the suicide decides jump from the balcony” , “My camera lens has captured a surprising image of the life of wild lions” .
The concept in religion and optics
Another meaning of the concept relates it to images of a religious or sacred nature , which are those statues, paintings or effigies inspired by divinities or saints: “Thousands of people gather to pray before the image of Mother Mary,” “Criminals have damaged the image of the Holy Father that was displayed in the neighborhood parish .
An image defined as optical , on the other hand, is that figure that is composed of several points towards which the rays derived from certain sources are directed after interacting with the optical structure. It is possible to speak, in this sense, of a real image (which arises when the light rays converge) or a virtual image (option that is created when the rays diverge after passing through the optical system).
A photograph is an image.
Public image
Continuing with the meanings and various uses of the term image, we have to explain that it is also common for us to talk about what is called public image. This concept is used to refer to the set of traits, fundamentally moral and behavioral, that a specific person has in relation to what society is.
An example of this meaning could be the following: “One of the city's sensational magazines published some photographs of that actor consuming drugs, which meant that his public image as a healthy and athletic person was damaged.”
Use in different expressions
Likewise, we cannot ignore the fact that every day we use various phrases or expressions that use the term image as a fundamental nucleus. In this sense we could highlight the verbal phrase “to be the living image of someone.” What they try to express with it is that one person is very similar to another.
Starting from that meaning, one of the examples that would best explain it would be this: “Paul is the life image of his father.”
Another of the most socially used expressions with the term we are analyzing is “a picture is worth a thousand words.” What they are trying to say is that no matter how much they tell you something, what really matters is what you see with your own eyes. So, for example, we could explain it starting from a relationship in which the man tells the woman that he has never been unfaithful to her but then she sees him kissing another girl. In that sense it is clear that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
The corporate image
Lastly, the group of qualities that consumers associate with a certain company is known as corporate image .
It could be said that the corporate image is what the company means to society .