Con la verdad por delante (o por detrás). Apuntes sobre la verosimilitud de la imagen

Abstract

Written from a structural semiotic perspective, this paper seeks to rethink the epistemological foundations of the elusive concept of “truth”. In doing so, it offers a detailed discussion of the notions of “natural world” and “referential illusion” and strives to offer a clear evaluation of the indexical dimension of the photochemical image. The whole aim of this theoretical exercise is to show that the discursive format known as “documentary” is defined by “making what is shown appear true” or, in other words, by employing a wide range of simulation tactics in an effort to construct a “textual truth”.