: 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.
: Mitchell explores images as "pseudopersons" that can speak, seduce, and even demand things from the beholder. What Do Pictures Want?: The Lives and Loves of ...
: Rather than asking "What does this picture mean?", Mitchell asks "What does this picture want?" . He suggests images might want to be seen, touched, or even to trade places with the viewer. : Mitchell uses the figure of the dinosaur
: 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). He suggests images might want to be seen,
What Do Pictures Want?: The Lives and Loves of Images, Mitchell