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Definition of "iconology" [i•co•nol•o•gy]

  • The branch of art history that deals with the description, analysis, and interpretation of icons or iconic representations. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "iconology" in a sentence
  • "Erwin Panofsky, with whose name iconology has been connected ever since, not only developed its theoretical foundations, but contributed by his practi - cal work in art history to the main triumph of iconol - ogy after the Second World War."
  • "On the first floor, Strand's uncompromisingly austere photography from Spanish, North American and Mexican collections offers a hard-bitten "collective portrait" of small-town Mexican life told through photos of individuals, landscapes, studies of architecture and religious iconology."
  • "Instead of religious iconology, Cartier-Bresson finds playful expression in the Surrealistic image of a pair of high-heeled shoes shaped like a heart."