iconography
iconography — noun
1. the set of visual images and established symbols that people traditionally use t
the set of visual images and established symbols that people traditionally use to stand for a particular idea, person, or subject — especially in art, religion, and politics — and the study of what those images mean
In Renaissance paintings, a lamb is part of the standard iconography for Christ.
collocation: standard iconography for [figure]
Ryan wrote his thesis on the iconography of Soviet propaganda posters from the 1950s.
pattern: iconography of [movement / body of work]
The eagle, the flag, and the shield belong to the iconography of American power.
Ayesha specialises in the iconography of Hindu temple carvings in southern India.
To understand this medieval tapestry, you first need to learn its religious iconography.
- symbolism
Broader term; covers any kind of symbol (visual, verbal, or abstract), not only images and not only within a single tradition
- imagery
More general; refers to all the visual pictures a work creates in the mind, whether or not they carry fixed symbolic meanings
- visual language
Emphasises the communicative and conventional aspect; common in art criticism and design
用法筆記
Typically uncountable. Refers to a whole system of symbols, not to individual pictures.