This is quite a question! I really have no idea what you mean by a "visual allusion," and the entire question is a bit of a mess for me to understand. That being said, I'll tell you what I know about traditional literary allusions in answer to what I think you're asking, which (if I'm right) is an interesting concept to consider.
An allusion is a figure of speech which makes an indirect reference to something outside of the literature. It's generally used to heighten or shorten a description or picture for the reader or viewer--a kind of shortcut, if you will. Allusions almost always come from mythology, the Bible, or other works of literature. Let me give a few examples.
Biblical allusions - He was like David facing Goliath (he was the righteous underdog who was up against a terrifying giant, yet he did so without fear). Or, like Job, he was plagued with trouble. (Of course, Job was afflicted by Satan with every conceivable loss--his entire family, all his possessions, excruciataing sores on his body.)
Mythology allusion - He was acting like Zeus. (Chief of all gods, Zeus was a jealous, self-centered, and arrogant character.)
Literary allusion - She walked into the room, and everyone stared at her as if she were wearing a scarlet letter (obviously a reference to Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter and the fact that she was the source of conspicuous gossip because of the sin she committed).
So, your question (I think) is whether the impact of the allusion is lost if you don't know the original reference--if the meaning is lost if you've never heard of David, Job, Zeus, or Hester. The answer has to be at least a partial yes. Of course the impact of anything is diminished if you don't understand it; if not, why bother to use it? At the same time, we've learned to make guesses about any references with which we aren't familiar.
Television shows, even silly ones, consistently use allusions to common or popular characters or works; and we've gotten pretty good at figuring out the gist of them even if we don't know the specific reference. So we kind of understand, even when we don't really know for sure. In literature, the allusions may or may not be more complex; however, we're generally pretty good at assessing the context surrounding the reference when we read, as well.
What I tell my students is this: the more mythology, literature, and Bible they know, the richer their reading and viewing experiences will be. When they hear a reference to something they've read, they're so excited to tell me they "got it." Before, they enjoyed the show or the book or the movie, but now they feel as if they're "in" on the inside joke--and they didn't miss it until they knew better. The full impact of the allusion was lost on them until they learned the application.
Understanding an allusion is like having an extra color in the rainbow or an extra layer of frosting on the cake. You can still appreciate the rainbow or enjoy the cake--it's just more colorful or flavorful. The impact may not be lost, but it certainly will be diminished.
If this was what you meant, great. If not, forgive me for wasting your time.
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