Syfte med uppsatsen har varit att undersöka färgens och gestikens påverkan på altarskåpets iscensättning av berättelserna och därmed även budskapet. Uppsatsen har ett bildsemiotiskt perspektiv som en utgångspunkt. Materialet för undersökningen är ett flandriskt altarskåp från Skånela kyrka som finns idag i Uppsala domkyrka. Skåpet är tillägnat Joakim och Sankta Anna. Undersökningen har avgränsats till att enbart analysera de sex skulpterade scenerna i korpusen. Analyserna har utförts genom en formell beskrivning och diskussion med hjälp av Lena Liepes lågikonografiska analys och med Norbert Ottos trestegsmetod för gestfunktioner. Lena Liepes metod och teori används som underlag för undersökningen. Undersökningen ansluter till Virginia Nixons forskningsarbete om Jesu mormor i kyrkokonsten. Det har konstaterats att färg- och gestikanalyserna möjliggör en nyanserad tolkning. Undersökningen har visat att färgen och gestiken är ett påverkningsmedel i syfte att leda betraktaren mot ett dolt budskap i bilden. Och att det finns en koppling mellan Skånelaskåpets budskap och den medeltida kvinnofientlighet som var rådande då. Annaskåpet innehåller budskap som präglas av den dåvarande barn- och kvinnosyner. / Purpose of this essay has been to examine the color's and gesticulation's impact on the altarpiece staging of the stories and thus the message. The essay has a semiotic perspective as a starting point. The material for the study is a flemish altarpiece from Skånela church that exists today in Uppsala Cathedral. The altarpiece is dedicated to Joachim and St. Anne. The study has been limited to only analyze the six sculptured scenes in the corpus. The analyzes have been performed through a formal description and discussion by Lena Liepes low iconographycal analysis and with Norbert Otto's three-step approach for gesture features. Lena Liepe's method and theory was used as a basis for the investigation. The study connects to Virginia Nixon's research on Jesus' grandmother in church art. It was found that the color and gesticulation analyzes enables a nuanced interpretation. The investigation has shown that the color and gestures are an actuation in order to lead the viewer towards a hidden message in the picture. And that there is a link between Skånela altarpiece's messages and the medieval misogyny that prevailed then. Anne-altarpiece contains messages that are characterized by the contemporary child and female visions.

Text in Afrikaans / Die proefskrif ondersoek die funksie van fonteine en putte in die religie van ou Israel. Die religie van die Hebreeuse Bybel word tradisioneel beskryf as 'n historiese religie waarin Jahwe, die god van Israel, fundamenteel gemoeid is met die verlossing van sy volk in die gang van die geskiedenis, terwyl die wêreld van die natuur van marginale belang is. Dit is egter duidelik dat die natuur in die vorm van haar grondwaterbronne 'n belangrike rol in ou Israel se leefwerêld gespeel het, nie alleen as lewegewende bronne in die droē fisiese Palestynse landskap nie, maar ook in hulle narratiewe en simboliese wêrelde. Fonteine en putte was kultiese plekke en heilige ruimtes waar teofanieē plaasgevind het, konings gekroon is, regsgedinge gevoer is, voorvadergeeste opgeroep is en die nageslag van ou Israel verseker is toe die voorvaders hulle toekomstige bruide by putte ontmoet het. Deur middel van die ou Nabye Oosterse ikonografie as hulpwetenskap in die interpretasieproses, is gevind dat die rede vir die sakrale waarde wat aan die waterbronne geheg is, opgesluit is in ou Israel se kosmologie wat hulle met hulle mitologies-gesinde en natuurvererende bure gedeel het. Daarvolgens ontspring fonteine uit die kosmiese onderaardse oeroseaan om lewe en vrugbaarheid te bring aan alles wat lewe. Die beeld het daartoe aanleiding gegee dat fonteine en putte metafories vir vroulike seksualiteit en vrugbaarheid gedien het. Die waterbronne tree ook as draers van hoop op. In verhale oor die wonderbaarlike ontstaan van fonteine in die wildernis deur lewensonderhoud aan die Israetiete tydens hulle woestynomswerwinge te voorsien. Ons kan met sekerheid aanneem dat ou Israel hulle watergate as lokaliteite van integrasie, sin en orde teen die aanslae van die chaosmagte ervaar het. Deur die eeue het die mensdom nagedink oor eksistensiele kwessles soos lewe en dood, vrugbaarheid en steriliteit, die redes vir rampe en oor wat die toekoms inhou. Dit is ten diepste religieuse vrae wat die vervloe bybelskrywers vir hulle tyd en omstandighede aangespreek het deur 'n refigurasie van Palestina se waterbronne. Grondliggend aan hierdie studie as 'n herevaluering van die natuur in die Hebreeuse Bybel om menslike wesens as deel van die natuur op te stel en nie as staande bo die natuur nie. / The dissertation investigates the function of springs and wells in the religion of ancient Israel. The religion of the Hebrew Bible has traditionally been descibed as a historical religion in which Yahweh, the god of Israel, was fundamentally concerned with the salvation of Yahweh's people In history in which the world of nature is of marginal interest. However, it is evident that nature in the form of its groundwater sources played an important role, not only as life giving sources in the arid physical environment of Palestine, but also in their narrative and symbolic worlds. Springs and wells served as cultic centres and sacred places where theophanies took place, kings were crowned, lawsuits conducted, ancestral spirits conjured up and the future progeny of Israel was ensured when patriarchs betrothed their future brides at wells. By means of ancient Near Eastern iconography as an interpretation aid, this study finds the reason for the sacred value attributed to groundwater sources in the cosmology of ancient Israel which she shared with her mythically-minded and nature-worshipping neighbours. Springs were believed to arise from the cosmic subterranean ooean to bring life and fertility to all living things. This image caused springs and wells to serve as metaphor of female sexuality and fertility. They also act as agents of hope in stories of miraculous springs in the desert which provide sustenance during the Israelites' desert wanderings. We can safely conclude that ancient Israel experienced their springs and wells as localities of integration, meaning and order amidst the threatening forces of chaos. Through the ages humankind reflected on existential questions regarding life and death, fertility and sterility, the reasons for disasters and what the future holds. These are profoundly religious questions addressed by the biblical authors for their time and circumstances by implementing a refiguration of the groundwater sources of Palestine. Ultimately this study serves to re-evaluate nature in the Hebrew Bible and to construe human beings not as standing above nature, but as part of nature. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

When cultures meet, mutual influences and cultural exchanges are unavoidable. Egypt’s contact with Syro-Palestine goes back to at least the Chalcolithic Period. Egypt was a major role player in the region throughout the Bronze Age. The discoveries at Ugarit have placed a lot of emphasis on possible Canaanite influences on the religion of ancient Israel. The purpose of this study is to investigate if cultural exchanges led to Egyptian religious concepts being accepted in Israel and Judah during the period 900-587 B.C.E. (Iron IIB and C). For this reason the iconography on contemporary seals was investigated. Symbols in ancient times, especially amongst illiterate societies, were important instruments in conveying ideas and concepts. The Hebrew Bible abounds with symbolism to illustrate the powers of Yahweh. Egyptian iconography on Hebrew seals, in particular seal amulets, has been regarded by most biblical scholars as mere decorations and the amulets regarded as ‘good luck’ charms. Seal amulets were important instruments of magical ritual in ancient Egypt, where there was no distinction between magic and religion. Biblical prohibitions against magic show that in Israel and Judah, it was regarded as a form of idolatry, thus religious rituals. An important factor to be considered is the influence of Phoenicia on the region during the Period. Close relationships seem to have existed between Phoenicia with the United Kingdom of Israel and later with the northern Kingdom of Israel. An investigation of Phoenician seals from the period revealed that Egyptian religious iconography was used by all levels of Phoenician society. They inter alia used Egyptian imagery to portray their own gods. Seals from Israel and Judah during Iron IIB and C indicate that Egyptian religious iconography was also used on seals by all levels of society in those kingdoms. Israel, due to its close proximity to Phoenicia, probably imported these images via Phoenicia. Judah, due to its isolation, probably got those images directly from Egypt. Some of these images may be ascribed to attempts to portray aspects of Yahweh’s powers. Others convey definite Egyptian religious messages. Egyptian influences on Israelite religion played a larger role than previously accepted. / Biblical Archaeology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Biblical Archaeology)

The bull was a potent symbol of power, strength, and, to a lesser degree, fertility to the peoples of the ancient Near East from the twelfth century until 330 BCE. This symbolism was manifested in several iconographic motifs. These motifs reveal the bull as a manifestation of divine characteristics and as an expression of the power of man, and particularly the authority of the king. The use of these iconographic motifs was not consistent across the entire area of the ancient Near East; some differed in appearance and use in the different areas of the region, and many changed over time even in the same area. In all areas and during all periods the basic core symbolism stayed the same, and the bull was always held in a special respect. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M.A. (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis comprises a critical analysis of the relationship between form and function in contemporary iconography that contains religious themes. From the theoretical stance of Visual Culture iconography can be defined as ‘context-specific visual language’. I suggest that meaning is created not only through material usage but also through the hermeneutic content of images. By means of a comparison between an example of what I deem literal iconography and another of figurative iconography, I explore two divergent methods through which religiously-inspired iconography can be employed in the construction of visual texts. The two examples comprise of the evangelical poster Die Smal en Breë Weg (The Broad and Narrow Way) and Willem Boshoff’s Bread-and-Pebble Road Map (2004). / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie skripsie omvat ‘n kritiese analise van die verhouding tussen die aard en die funksionering van kontemporêre ikonografie wat religieuse temas bevat. Vanuit die teoretiese hoek van Visuele Kultuur kan ikonografie gedefinieer word as ‘konteks-spesifieke visuele taal’. Ek stel voor dat betekenis nie alleen gegenereer word deur die materiële gebruik van beeldmateriaal nie, maar ook deur die hermeneutiese inhoud daarvan. Deur ‘n vergelykende analise tussen ‘n voorbeeld van wat ek as letterlike ikonografie beskou en ‘n voorbeeld van figuurlike ikonografie, ondersoek ek twee uiteenlopende metodes waardeur religieus-geïnspireerde ikonografie werksaam kan wees in die konstruksie van visuele tekste. Die twee voorbeelde bestaan uit die evangeliese plakkaat Die Smal en Breë Weg en Willem Boshoff se Bread-and-Pebble Road Map (2004).

La question de recherche à la base de cette étude soulève le point de la nature paradoxale du canon de représentation égyptien qui démontre, simultanément, une certaine rigidité dans l’application de règles stylistiques et iconographiques établies, particulièrement dans l’art non commandité par l’État, et des preuves de transformation et d’intégration de motifs nouveaux. Partant de cette problématique, l’étude vise à identifier les mécanismes par lesquels ce canon permet, à la fois, l’innovation et le maintien d’une certaine tradition. L’approche est de nature double et consiste tout d’abord à identifier de grandes tendances et discontinuités stylistiques et iconographiques sur les bols de faïence du Moyen au Nouvel Empire. De plus, elle tente de déterminer si les transformations d’ordre sociopolitique et idéologique, survenant à ces périodes, peuvent être lues dans les variations stylistiques et iconographiques trouvées sur les bols de faïence. Après une description du champ conceptuel de la « représentation » en contexte égyptien, l’auteur effectue l’analyse iconographique exhaustive de ce qui constitue l’apport majeur de son étude, un corpus de 500 bols et fragments de faïence provenant de divers sites égyptiens du Moyen au Nouvel Empire. Les données ont été traitées par le biais de la méthode d’analyse iconologique proposée par Panofsky, qui lui permet de dévoiler un grand nombre de continuités et de transformations d’ordre stylistique et iconographique pour les différentes périodes. Plusieurs facteurs semblent avoir été à l’origine de ces transformations, dont la fluctuation entre un contexte de centralisation et de décentralisation politique de l’État, ainsi que l’intégration de motifs étrangers (proche-orientaux et égéens) résultant d’un contact accru entre l’Égypte et les régions voisines. De plus, les transformations idéologiques apportées par le règne d’Akhénaton et par la « contre-réforme » idéologique à la période ramesside, semblent avoir également contribué à des innovations au sein du canon, même si ce dernier maintient une certaine continuité légitimée par le pouvoir étatique. Le canon de représentation, devient ainsi une forme de langage dont l’État se sert et qui, parfois malgré lui, se transforme et fluctue selon les réalités des différentes périodes. / This study’s research question raises the issue of the paradoxical nature of the Egyptian canon of representation which shows, simultaneously, a certain rigidity in the application of established stylistic and iconographic rules, especially in non-state commissioned art, and evidence for the transformation and integration of new iconographical motifs. The study aims to identify the mechanisms by which the canon permits, at the same time, transformative processes and the maintenance of tradition. The approach is twofold and consists primarily in identifying trends and stylistic/iconographical discontinuities in the iconography found on the faience bowls from the Middle to the New Kingdoms. Furthermore, it aims to determine if the socio-political and ideological transformations taking place in these periods can be discerned in the stylistic and iconographical variations found on the bowls of the Middle to the New Kingdoms. The author discusses the theoretical model of “representation” in Egyptian context, followed by an analysis of what constitutes the major contribution of this study: an exhaustive iconographical analysis of 500 faience bowls and fragments originating from various Egyptian sites dating to the New Kingdom. The data was evaluated by means of the method of iconological analysis proposed by Panofsky, which permits the identification of a number of stylistic and iconographic continuities and changes for all periods. These transformations seem to be the result of a variety of factors, including fluctuations in the centralization and decentralization of the state, as well as the integration of foreign motifs (Near-Eastern and Aegean), which results from increased contacts between Egypt and its neighbouring regions. Furthermore, the ideological transformations taking place under Akhenaton’s reign and the ones resulting from the ideological “counter-reformation” occurring during the Ramessid period, equally seem to contribute to the changes in the representational canon, even though the latter maintained a certain continuity that was legitimized by the state. The canon thus emerges as a form of language used by the state, and sometimes despite it, which can fluctuate and be altered depending on the realities of the different periods.

La présente thèse étudie la production et la consommation d’images par les révolutionnaires russes avant 1917. L’auteur soutient que l’iconographie révolutionnaire russe émane d’un long processus au cours duquel les révolutionnaires se sont appropriés et ont subverti certaines images et stratégies visuelles, ainsi que leurs moyens de production, déjà disponibles au sein de la culture qu’ils avaient entrepris de transformer. Cette appropriation est comprise comme une tentative d'insuffler une cohérence idéologique à un mouvement révolutionnaire en émergence et, ce faisant, en proie à une relative désorganisation. L’auteur montre comment l’usage de portraits et de stéréotypes visuels joua un rôle important dans la construction de l’identité et de la conscience révolutionnaires, d’une part, et comment un certain imaginaire révolutionnaire fut cristallisé dans la culture visuelle contemporaine, d’autre part. / This dissertation studies the production and consumption of images by Russian revolutionaries prior to 1917. The author argues that Russian revolutionary iconography emanates from a long-term process in which revolutionaries appropriated and subverted the images, means of production and visual strategies already available in their surrounding cultural context. This cultural borrowing is analyzed as an attempt of the revolutionaries to give an ideological coherence to an emerging but still disorganized political movement. The author shows how portraits and visual stereotypes have been fundamental in the construction of the revolutionary identity and consciousness, on one hand, and how a certain revolutionary imagination have been crystallized in the contemporary visual culture, on the other hand.

The diploma thesis deals with medieval mural paintings. Its aim is to describe and classify the collection in terms of time and style in the context of contemporary production of mural paintings in the 14th century in Bohemia. In the introduction, historical realtionships connected with the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit are described and the development of church service in East Bohemia is outlined. The main part is concerned with the description, placement, iconographical determination of mural paintings and their present state. It especially focuses on analysing and specification of the iconography of different scenes, figures of saints and donators. Style analysis qualifies style resemblance, analogy, parallels and confronts the mural paintings with contemporary book, mural and carving production. It also deals with the problematics of over painting accidental intervention into the monument. This part deduces the probable creation time of the whole interior decoration of the decanal sacristy. The final part evaluates and recapitulates the whole problematics. The diploma thesis offers the first detailed analysis and evaluation of the paintings in the decanal sacristy of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Hradec Králové and provides complete drawing and photographic documentation.

Diploma thesis Motifs of pre-Columbian America in modern Mexican art deals with the pre- Columbian motifs in the work of three leading representatives of the Mexican muralism - Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Muralism, monumental painting with a clearly defined socio-educational function, started to develop on the initiative of the post- revolutionary Mexican government, since the 1920s of the 20th century. During its development, it gained international fame and today it is widely regarded as a uniquely Mexican style of art. An integral part of muralism form scenes from the life of pre-Columbian cultures. The main objective of this work is to analyse these scenes, the origin of particular motifs, their original meanings and meanings, which they assumed in the context of the murals. The work also reflects where muralists acquired knowledge about the Indian civilizations and what image of pre-Columbian past they created. The work also seeks to clarify the question in what specifically was the muralist access to pre-Columbian cultures innovative. The paper uses qualitative methods of analysis of the available written sources and analysis of visual materials.

The thesis seeks to explain the sexual passages of women related to fertility, such as menstruation, pregnancy and birth, in the ancient Egyptian world. The passages related to fertility have strong connotations with death in the Egyptian mythological context. The aim of the thesis is to understand this relationship, often metaphorically conveyed in iconography or in the netherworld literature. The thesis collects material from various sources, archeological, textual, iconographical, not only Egyptian, but also Greek and Roman. The methods used vary from cognitive linguistics and semiotic analysis to religious anthropology. Menstruation, pregnancy and birth in ancient Egypt are explained not only on the level of the understanding of the body of the Egyptians, but also in terms of what role they play in iconography and mythology. Furthermore, the relationship between birth and death is made with regards to fertility. The basic findings of this thesis consist of illustrating a dichotomy between the feminine nurturing principle of and masculine creative principle which appear in different contexts related to birth and death: in iconography, on the level of bodily fluids, or in mythological creation.