This paper considers image autonomy from a visuality perspective.An analysis was conducted that shifted the focus from the composition of works to directly address the issues of images.Mariana Squilla's illustrations guided the construction of the methodological approach.Throughout the analysis, the hegemonic discourses made invisible in the compositions that fixed and crystallized a certain moment of reality were highlighted.The results are not intended to question the importance of artists and their recognized productions in building a critical perspective of the socio-cultural contexts in which they lived.However, it is now essential to reflect on how other ways of looking at the same reality might affect teaching and learning strategies in visual arts classes.