Depiction, in analytic philosophy, is representation by means of a . There is an important debate in analytic philosophy over whether or not depictive representation is d by resemblance, as common sense would suggest, or whether an alternative theory of depictive representation is required. Other debates include the relationship between seeing something in a picture and seeing face to face, whether depictive representation is conventional, how understanding novel depictions is possible, the aesthetic and ethical value of depiction and the nature of realism in pictorial art.