Meaning & use
Iconology
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The academic study of visual images and symbols, particularly their meaning and cultural or historical significance in art.
See it in a sentence
Her dissertation applied iconology to interpret the hidden symbolism in Renaissance paintings.
Iconology helped scholars decode the religious meaning behind medieval altarpieces.
A note on using this word
Closely associated with art historian Erwin Panofsky, who distinguished iconology (interpreting deeper meaning) from iconography (cataloguing subject matter).
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