Here are the most important terms we will be using throughout this year's study; please be sure you get well acquainted with all of them:
- THEME: the general content of the art work (general aspect/subject) (e.g. the landscape)
- SUBJECT-MATTER: the sum of identifiable objects, persons, places, references in the artwork (e.g. the rosegarden)
- MEANING (or, CONTENT): is revealed through interpretation; sometimes the title may be of help, but most often than not, it is revealed through careful iconographic and/or iconologic interpretation
- ICONOGRAPHY: the overt or hidden symbolism in the artwork, rendered through images (signs, symbols)
- ICONOLOGY: the meaning revealed through the study of the cultural, social, historical background of the artwork (through literary, historical,aso, texts)
- DESCRIBING ART: the verbal pointing to the features; a means of gathering the support for interpretations; it concerns the subject-matter, the most expressive formal elements; the principles of design, aso.
- ANALYSING ART: explaining how the described elements get their meanings, the artist's choices; inferring meaning; evaluating technique
- INTERPRETING ART: a most important and complex activity; the arriving at the meaning of the artwork by employing different strategies of interpreting based on the information gathered through iconographical and iconological insights
- EVALUATING ART: determining how good the artwork is, according to some criteria,either clearly stated, or implied, while providing reasons and evidence for judgments