The vernacular line: Adoption and transposition of the kitsch in illustration

The article considers the affect folk art has on the development of a vernacular visual language in particular associated with the expression and translation of the graphic line in illustration. It is argued that this process of translation and transference results in a conflict between aesthetic readings of the vernacular line, associated with the kitsch and the agency of the illustrated image/object. In adopting Alfred Gell’s (1998) principle of the agency of art a more objective consideration of illustration in relation to its functional role in society, rather than the aesthetic value of the image/object can be developed.