ABSTRACT
One edition of Barthes’ Mythologies (an English translation published by Paladin in 1973) chose for the cover image Richard Hamilton's iconic collage Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing? (1956). This artwork originates from the very same period in which Barthes was writing, and similarly offers a witty view upon the then emergent mass consumer culture. As the critic, Sarat Maharaj, explains:
‘The scene reads as a vanitas, as essay on the styling of the five senses by consumer goods and gadgetry. What Hamilton is scanning is the “persuading image”, the “look of things” how objects, bodies, the micro-texture of everyday life not only take on an irresistible erotic charge, but also serve as a system of signs, symbols and representations through which desires and needs come to be interpreted and voiced.’
(Maharaj, 1992, p.42)