Semiotics is the study of signs and their meaning in society.
- A sign is something which can stand for something else – in other words, a sign is anything that can convey meaning.
- Visual signs - photographs, paintings, drawings, advertisements, street signs.
Icon
- A visual image that serves as a sign or representation that stands for its object by virtue of a resemblance or analogy to it. Example, an icon of womanhood.
- Digital Technology
- A picture that appears on a screen and is used to represent content or action.
- Example, tap the icon to download the app.
- People as Icons
- A person that is revered or idolized.
- Example, Elvis Presley is a cultural icon of the 20th century. Migrant Mother Photograph an iconic image for the Great Depression.
- Pictorial Images
- Keeps characteristics.
- Example, Instagram icon, Restroom Signage, Handicap Signage.
Index
- Indicate something.
- Compare to icon - it is not the object itself.
- Does not resemble the "something".
- Has some relationship to the thing it represents - is one step removed.
- Connected to another object or event.
- Example - A footprint is an index that a person was in a space.
Symbols
- No resemblance to the thing it represents.
- Can only mean something if person knows (culture or previous knowledge).
- A learned sign.
- Example - The circle/cross shape that signifies the female gender.
Analyzing subject matter in an artwork,
specifically symbols whose meaning is understood
by a people or culture in that specific time period.
Oranges
Dog
Carved Figure on Bed Post
Brush Hanging from Bed Post
Spotless Mirror
Green Dress and White Cap
Cherry Tree
Learn more, go to links below:
Great Art Explained in Fifteen Minutes
Basquiat
The Brilliance and Symbolism of Basquiat's Flesh and Spirit
Three Minutes
Explaining the Explosion of Iconography in Basquiat's "Pyro"
Eleven Minutes
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