Images Before Words
“Painting is the pattern of one’s own nervous system being projected on canvas.”
— Francis Bacon
Before we explain, we respond.
Before we find the right words, something registers — emotionally, physically, instinctively.
As an artist, I’ve long been aware that images seem to reach a place language doesn’t always access first. Bacon’s remark captures this beautifully: painting bypasses explanation and connects directly with the nervous system. It meets us before interpretation, before justification, before we decide what is acceptable to say.
This idea isn’t confined to art.
In qualitative research, visual prompting has repeatedly been shown to surface insights that remain hidden when people are asked to explain themselves directly. When participants are invited to draw or respond to images, their responses tend to be less filtered — and more revealing.
Example 1: Drawing a relationship with a bank
In one study, participants were asked not to describe their relationship with a bank, but to draw it.
Some drew themselves as small figures standing at a distance from a large, imposing building. Others sketched barriers — walls, counters, locked doors — separating themselves from the institution. A few depicted protective shapes such as umbrellas or enclosing forms, suggesting security and dependence rather than trust or partnership.
What mattered wasn’t artistic skill. When participants were asked to explain why they had drawn what they did, the conversation shifted. People began to speak about anxiety, vulnerability, power imbalance, and reassurance — themes that had not surfaced in earlier verbal interviews.
The drawing created access; the explanation revealed meaning.
Example 2: Visualising retirement
In a separate study exploring attitudes toward retirement, participants were invited to draw what retirement looked like to them.
Some produced images of open landscapes, paths, or distant horizons, expressing anticipation and freedom. Others drew fragmented scenes, empty houses, isolated figures, or clocks dominating the page. In several cases, participants were surprised by their own drawings — only recognising underlying fears or uncertainties once the image existed outside their thoughts.
Again, the most valuable insights emerged not from the images alone, but from participants’ explanations of why they had drawn what they did.
Why this matters
These examples point to a simple but powerful sequence:
image → reflection → language
When people begin with images, they often bypass the social filtering that comes with words. The act of choosing or creating an image becomes a form of meaning-making in itself. The explanation that follows is richer, more personal, and often more honest than answers to direct questions.
Note: The examples discussed above are adapted from published qualitative research examining the use of drawing and visual prompts in marketing and social research.
