Iconography of Artwork

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Iconography of Artwork
Iconography refers to a collection of visual images and symbols used in a work of art. Also, Iconography is an understanding of the subject matter and symbols of an artwork. The artwork refers to illustrations, images, paintings, photographs, drawings, or other non-textual prepared for inclusion in a publication. Therefore, Iconography of artwork can be described as identification, description, and interpretation of the artwork. Here, we will examine the Iconography of various artworks such as Adam and Eve, the Founding of Tenochtitlan Page, The Hip Pendant Representing an Iyoba (Queen Mother) of Nigeria, and Tar Beach, Ringgold, 1988, Acrylic on Canvas and Pieced Cloth.
The Iconography of Adam and Eve
The engraving of Adam and Eve is a piece of artwork that was created by a German Renaissance artist known as Albrecht Durer in the year 1504. This engraving shows Adam and Eve on the same site together with other symbolical animals. From the religious and biblical history, Adam was the first man to be created by God. Afterward, God created the first woman, Eve, and placed them in the Garden of Eden. God instructed them to care and nurture the land as well as assigning them with procreation to fill the earth. God told them that they could eat any fruit all the trees but not from the tree of good and evil (Bible Study Tools Staff, 2016). God warned them that eating from the tree would lead to their death. Albrecht Durer was highly skilled in the art of engraving and painting. He was also fascinated by the story of Adam and Eve, and this inspired him to create the engraving of Adam and Eve.
Albrecht distinctively engraves Adam and Eve in symmetrical ideal poses, each with one leg beg and the other with weight. He also engraved each with one arm angled slightly above the elbow and also away from the body. He also engraved tree bark and leaves, human and snake’s skin, and animal fur in a distinctive manner. He engraved Adam holding the Mountain Ash, which represents Tree of Life, with Eve is holding a broken fig, which represents the forbidden tree of knowledge (Khan Academy, 2020).
The Iconography of the Founding of Tenochtitlan Page
The Tenochtitlan City, an island in Lake Texcoco, Mexico, was found on the opening page of the Codex Mendoza. The Codex Mendoza was created in 1542, twenty years after Mexico was conquered by the Spanish people (Stokstad and Cothren, 2018). The Codex Mendoza contained the history and description of the daily life and cultures of the Aztec society before being conquered. The first page of the Codex Mendoza foretold a story of the wandering Mexican tribe that would find an eagle on top of a cactus that grew on a rock. The eagle perched on cactus that grow from a stone was found in Tenochtitlan, which became the capital of Aztec.
The story says that the people were led by the god of war, human sacrifice, and the sun to find the eagle that was on the island where they settled. Most people connect this story to the Mexican flag, which uses the allegorical symbol. The eagle sitting on a cactus growing on a rock depicted where the Aztec society would find their city, Tenochtitlan. This showed that Aztec people would find their land above ...