: Mitchell uses the figure of the dinosaur as a "totem animal of modernity," representing both the fascination with and the fear of species extinction in a post-human world.
: The book re-evaluates these "primitive" concepts to explain modern behavior toward images, such as our reactions to offensive symbols or the cultural obsession with clones (like Dolly the Sheep). What Do Pictures Want?: The Lives and Loves of ...
: He introduces the idea of images that reflect on their own nature, effectively "self-theorizing" through their own visual language. : Mitchell uses the figure of the dinosaur
What Do Pictures Want?: The Lives and Loves of Images, Mitchell What Do Pictures Want?: The Lives and Loves of ...
: Mitchell explores images as "pseudopersons" that can speak, seduce, and even demand things from the beholder.