Panofsky – the 3 phases of the iconological method of art analysis

Erwin Panofsky (1892–1968) was a German art historian marked the history of art in the 20th century through his studies of iconology. His work significantly shaped the academic study of art and cultural interpretation.

In this article we will analyze the iconological analysis method with some practical examples.

By Yolanda Silva, author of the online courses Art Analysis and Iconography

The Erwin Panofsky method of iconological analysis

In 1939, Panofsky presents his method of iconological analysis of art.

For Erwin Panofsky the art analysis could not merely depend upon literary sources, which after all, are not always available.

Erwin Panofsky goes on to investigate the way in which, according to the different historical conditions to which the artist is subjected, themes, subjects or facts are chosen to be represented. I.e., he defends the study of meanings.

Erwin Panofsky

Erwin Panofsky gave this example:

A man raises his hat. In iconographic terms, we basically see is the action in which a man takes his hat off his head. However, analysing it under an iconological point of view, there is a meaning to the gesture.

If we assume that we have two people involved (the one who sees the action and the one who acts it) who are familiar to the western culture, they will know that it is a gesture of friendliness and respect.

However, reaching this level of understanding depends on a prior knowledge of the social values that involve this same gesture.

The 3 levels of iconological analysis

And so Erwin Panofsky identifies the three levels of understanding that we have already seen:

1. The primary or natural,
2. The secondary or conventional,
3. The tertiary or intrinsic.

Erwin Panofsky gives an example

Da Vinci’s «Last Supper» – let’s look again at each one of these stages.

The last supper-Leonardo da Vinci, from the refectory of the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Milan.

The primary level

The primary level should correspond to the most basic level of understanding, i.e. the natural perception of the work.

So, in this painting, what we identify are 13 men at the table during supper time. In this first level, we don’t use knowledge or in-depth cultural domains to understand the message.

The second level

The second level of understanding requires a certain iconographic knowledge, to the extent that this is the interpretation of the message and its meaning.

Thus, any individual who has had an education of western culture and/or Christianity will be able to identify the scene as the Last Supper that Jesus had with his Apostles.

The third and final level

For the third and final level of interpretation, the observer not only receives and interprets the message contained within the representation, but also seeks to interpret it under an historical point of view, looking for social and cultural interrelations that might broaden the meaning.

This level sees the art not only as isolated act, but as the product of historical, social and cultural conditions conducive to its creation.

To Erwin Panofsky the third level of knowledge requires a deeper knowledge and understanding, at a technical, historical and cultural level, in order to answer the last question: «what does it mean?».

Next, we will see a presentation with a different example.

Erwin Panofsky – Iconography as an area of study

Aby Warburg

 Iconography as an area of study emerges with the studies of art  historian Aby Warburg (1866-1929), still in the 19th century.

He advocated that the story of the images is what teaches us their general function, thus being a mechanism of expression of the needs and expectations and a form of religious and political communication.

However, it’s only with Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968) that Iconography truly becomes a study area.

Having been a student of Warburg in the University of Hamburg, Erwin Panofsky developed his own studies, having in mind the definition of Iconology.

In 1939, in his essay Studies in Iconology, Erwin Panofsky  – as Warburg did before – spoke of reading the elements of a work of art beyond the simple formal description of said piece. In other words, he suggested that, before a work of art, we should not simply ask «what?», but also «why?».

This way his work crossed disciplinary boundaries, integrating philosophy, literature, and intellectual history into art history. Erwin Panofsky approach has influenced scholars in other fields such as cultural studies, literary theory, and philosophy.

The study of iconography in art is a powerful tool for the interpretation and art analysis

At the end of the Iconography Course you will be able to apply methods of iconographic analysis and recognise symbols of christian iconography and attributes of the Saints, through practical exercises and other resources for future use.