THEORIES OF

MODERN ART
 Deepest meaning of an Art?
"It is common to want to know what you are looking at so you can place
a literal meaning on it. But art, even art that is fairly straightforward in
its subject matter, has a larger and deeper meaning that goes beyond the
literal. This larger and deeper meaning is not intellectual in nature—it is
emotional" - Cedar Lee

But the purpose of art is not simply to communicate a message, but more
importantly, to elicit an emotional response, to 'move' us, in some way.
 Aesthetic vs Artist Perception

Aesthetic perception allows an agent to normatively anticipate

interaction potentialities, thus increasing sense making and reducing
the uncertainty of interaction.This conception of aesthetic perception
is compatible with contemporary evidence from neuroscience,
experimental aesthetics, and interaction design.

In order to be considered an artist, one must possess artistic perception, which

includes the ability to process, analyze, and respond to sensory information.
 ICONOGRAPHY vs ICONOLOGY
Iconography, as a branch of art
history, studies the identification,
description and interpretation of the
content of images: the subjects
depicted, the particular compositions
and details used to do so, and other
elements that are distinct from
artistic style. The word iconography
comes from the Greek icon ("image")
and graphy ("to write" or to draw).
Iconology is a method of
interpretation in cultural history
and the history of the visual arts
used by Aby Warburg, Erwin
Panofsky and their followers that
uncovers the cultural, social, and
historical background of themes
and subjects in the visual arts.
Iconology/Iconography

Originally iconography referred to the description and classification of religious or artistic

objects/images, while iconology referred to the interpretation of their meanings, but these two terms
now tend to be used interchangeably or as closely interwoven. In order to systematise the process,
Edwin Panofsky (1974) constructed an integrated frame of three levels of analysis; primary,
secondary and tertiary.

1. Primary level(factual description of representations)

2. Secondary level(representation at a more abstract level – iconographical analysis understanding the accepted
meanings of the signs and symbols presented and seeking any obvious themes):

3. Tertiary level(iconological interpretation involving seeking the deepest meaning reflecting the underlying
principles or period).
The general cultural context of thr
age and in particular those ideas and
theories of the greatest interest on the
artist, wheather they come from
science, history, literature , polital or
social theory
The specific ideological milieu in which
the writer fomulated and tested his own
ideas and thoughts, such as circle of
friends and acquaitances and his
contacts with critics, poemsand writers.
The medium through which the ideas were
transmitted, insofar as it is conditioned the
intellectual and emotional atittude the
writer assumed in addressing a specific
audience: his choice of language, his
logically or absence of it, and perhaps even
the kind if ideas chosen.
The writers personal qualifications as a
theoretician, as they maybe conditioned
by both his education and past
experince with ideas, and his atittude
toward the written or spoken word as a
means of conveying intensions.
"The artist's business is to practice art and
not to talk about it"

- C.J Ducasse -
 04

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