iconographic
Relating to symbolic images
Iconographic describes something relating to icons or visual imagery, especially the symbolic content of images in art, religion, or culture.
Art historians conduct iconographic analysis to decode the meaning of figures, objects, and compositions: The iconographic elements in medieval paintings often required viewers to recognize saints by their attributes.
The term applies broadly to any system of visual symbols: the iconographic language of advertising.
Representational sign or device
- motifRecurring thematic element
- glyphVisual form of character
- insigniaDistinguishing mark of rank
- pictogramSymbol using visual likeness
ideogram · sigil · heraldry · monogram · badge · seal · attribute · allegory
Luminous ring overhead
- saintCanonized holy person
- altarSacred ritual table
- relicPreserved ancient object
- shrineSacred devotional place
Byzantine · gilded · veneration · devotion · triptych · Madonna · Christ · nimbus
Inherited cultural narratives
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
ceremony · symbolism · archetype · narrative · cosmology · deity · ancestor · spirit
Wet plaster painting technique
- mosaicInlaid pictorial arrangement
- illuminationProvision of light
- miniatureReduced-scale representation
- panelDistinct flat section
composition · gilding · stylization · diptych · polyptych · woodcut · engraving · relief
emblem
Representational sign or device
pictogram · ideogram · sigil · heraldry · monogram · badge · seal · attribute · allegory · signifier
halo
Luminous ring overhead
shrine · Byzantine · gilded · veneration · devotion · triptych · Madonna · Christ · nimbus · tempera
folklore
Inherited cultural narratives
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
ritual · ceremony · symbolism · archetype · narrative · cosmology · deity · ancestor · spirit · mask
fresco
Wet plaster painting technique
- mosaicInlaid pictorial arrangement
- illuminationProvision of light
- miniatureReduced-scale representation
panel · composition · gilding · stylization · diptych · polyptych · woodcut · engraving · relief · manuscript
iconographicabstract
Condensed version of text
non-representational · non-figurative · formless · amorphous · shapeless
iconographicliteral
Meaning exactly what's said
unconventional · idiosyncratic · arbitrary · meaningless · decorative
- religious iconographySpiritual images and symbols
- Christian iconographyReligious artistic visual language