Visual Culture by Howells and Negreiros Chapter 1: Iconology

Concerned with subject matter or content - what is it of or what does it show.

Analysis of Haywain shows:

1.   Not difficult - use common sense;

2.   Needed n extraneous information - could describe from what is presented;

3.   Relatively simple picture

So a structured approach will look at:

4.   The kind of painting - genres of paintings are landscapes, portraits, still life, genre painting (scene from everyday life)

5.   Look at what is shown - is the subject of a portrait young, old, ethnicity,

6.   Location

7.   Age of painting

8.   Season

9.   Time of day - quality of light as well as brightness, shadows etc

10.         Moment - battle scene for example

This approach:

11.         Makes us look at a painting;

12.         focusses attention on the visual evidence provided by the painting itself, the text rather than the context

13.         Provides a generic methodology;

14.         Encourages us to look for ourselves

Interpretation beyond this though requires some knowledge of context. Important to know bible to interpret religious art for example - known as attributes. Owl for wisdom is an every day example.

Analysis then of Arnolifini's Wedding Portrait by Jan van Eyck. Here we get symbolism: e.g. not wearing shoes suggests couple standing on 'holy ground'. Dog may be symbol of marital fidelity (fido). Hand across the stomach indicates pregnancy or maybe potential for childbirth.

Secondly look at The Annunciation by Master of Flemalle. The WYSIWYG approach  permits us to estimate time of day, location, period. Beyond that a knowledge of New Testament helps us identify Mary, Joseph and Angel Gabriel. On left hand panel - looking in through a trapdoor are the sponsor (Jan Engelbrecht) and his wife.

At a deeper level there is more symbolism - Jesus has made a wooden mousetrap - according to St Augustine the cross was a mousetrap designed by God to catch the devil. The candle has just been extinguished - does this mean that divine light has overcome need for artificial light, or simply that angel's wings have extinguished it?

These two paintings contain many deliberate symbols that may be interpreted only by an audience that had sound grounding in Christian scripture, lore and symbolism (actually this is perhaps an attempt to be elitist - the customer wants to show something off that indicates that he understands it even if the average viewer does not - my interpretation).

Panofsky has written seminal work on iconology - Studies in Iconology - the branch of art history concerned with the subject matter or meaning of works of art.

He sets out three levels:

1.   primary or natural level - identifying only the very basic subject matter, no requirement for cultural, conventional or art history knowledge;

2.   secondary or conventional level - we can tell the difference between the Last Supper and a meal out

3.   Intrinsic meaning or content, that which reveals the underlying basic attitude of a nation, a period, a class...(broadly the Zeitgeist). This is the ultimate goal of iconology - to unpick the unintentional cultural attitudes and assumptions in a painting.

Using this, we can analyze the cover of Abbey Road.

At primary level, we have four men crossing a road, in relaxed manner.

At secondary level, we can see they are the Beatles, and identify each one. Then can move on and ask why Paul has no shoes. Sicilian mourners wear no shoes. The VW beetle has a number plate 28 IF. Is this symbolism. Is Paul dead? Is John (dressed in white) the priest. Obviously all nonsense - Paul was alive - and shows risk of over interpretation - Paul's shoes were is fact hurting him.

At intrinsic level, the casual cool look discloses the individuality, as does wearing different clothes. Also, look at what is not on the cover: the band's name. There was no need because they were so famous.