Nearly 300 years before the rise of a ‘Christianized,’ Eastern Roman Empire, generations of inhabitants in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East had witnessed a considerable variety and evolution of religious thought. As a result of the expansion of Christian sects throughout the Near East and Mediterranean, in 325 CE, Emperor Constantine I convened a theological council to unite his vast kingdom in the East under a single religious creed. While revisions to the text of the first ‘Nicene Creed’ and subsequent councils would be organized, many dissenting factions refused to relinquish their long-held beliefs and traditions. Some of these ‘heterodox’ sects resisted the religious arm of the Empire and concealed their practices while continuing to worship in secrecy. Clues to the subversion of ‘orthodox’ ecclesiastical mandate may still persist in the mosaic programs of extant churches in the Mediterranean and Transjordan. In particular, the general design of mosaics in the Transjordan (e.g., the Petra Church, Petra; the Church of SS. Lot and Procopius, Khirbet al-Mukhayyat; and the Church of SS. Cosmas and Damian, Jerash) are somewhat similar, yet divergent from designs found within churches from the Italian Peninsula (e.g., the Theodorean Basilical Complex, Aquileia; the Church of San Vitale, Ravenna; and the Church of Sant’Apollinare in Classe, Classe). The purpose of this thesis is to use the principles of semiotic theory to re-evaluate the use of symbols and icons within sacred mosaic programs, juxtaposed against the historical and ecclesiastical context surrounding their creation.

Giovanni Boldini's La Zingara is an image fraught with mystery. As a lesser-known artist, scholarship on him and this painting is sparse. This thesis details the innovations that Boldini exhibited as an artist working in nineteenth-century France, using the lenses of feminist and Marxist art historical readings for a new interpretation of this piece. Participating in the oppressive systems of capitalism, sexism, and prejudice, Giovanni Boldini created the image of La Zingara for personal gain. Painting a subject from a marginalized community, the Romani, Boldini benefitted from those systems. He "others"his Italian heritage and modern art developments to construct a portraiture totally unique to him and his oeuvre. While other artists worked on similar subjects at the time, Giovanni Boldini set himself apart through his updating of classic styles, drawing upon on the Christian iconography of the Byzantine tradition, the portraiture of Trecento and the Renaissance, and some ancient Roman conventions. Additionally, the artist capitalizes on the growing interest and commodification of japonisme to create a highly marketable work. Furthermore, this thesis explores issues of gender and class to acknowledge the difficult place that women have filled in the history of art. Finally, this thesis argues that Boldini deserves a greater place in the history of art.

Nearly 300 years before the rise of a 'Christianized,' Eastern Roman Empire, generations of inhabitants in the Eastern Mediterranean and Near East had witnessed a considerable variety and evolution of religious thought. As a result of the expansion of Christian sects throughout the Near East and Mediterranean, in 325 CE, Emperor Constantine I convened a theological council to unite his vast kingdom in the East under a single religious creed. While revisions to the text of the first 'Nicene Creed' and subsequent councils would be organized, many dissenting factions refused to relinquish their long-held beliefs and traditions. Some of these 'heterodox' sects resisted the religious arm of the Empire and concealed their practices while continuing to worship in secrecy. Clues to the subversion of 'orthodox' ecclesiastical mandate may still persist in the mosaic programs of extant churches in the Mediterranean and Transjordan. In particular, the general design of mosaics in the Transjordan (e.g., the Petra Church, Petra; the Church of SS. Lot and Procopius, Khirbet al-Mukhayyat; and the Church of SS. Cosmas and Damian, Jerash) are somewhat similar, yet divergent from designs found within churches from the Italian Peninsula (e.g., the Theodorean Basilical Complex, Aquileia; the Church of San Vitale, Ravenna; and the Church of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, Classe). The purpose of this thesis is to use the principles of semiotic theory to re-evaluate the use of symbols and icons within sacred mosaic programs, juxtaposed against the historical and ecclesiastical context surrounding their creation.

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar la construcción de la iconografía en las monedas de la serie numismática Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú y el rol que ejerce en el discurso de la identidad nacional. Se parte de la hipótesis de que la iconografía presente en las monedas de dicha serie construye una narrativa de herencia nacional a través de la síntesis gráfica de patrimonios culturales que representan hitos históricos de los departamentos del territorio peruano. La investigación se centró en el estudio cualitativo de diez monedas de la serie numismática bajo la aplicación de una segmentación temática, delimitación temporal y geográfica para abarcar mayor diversidad en la selección. Además, los resultados obtenidos en el análisis visual se contrastaron con las entrevistas realizadas a informantes claves. Los principales resultados indican que la iconografía presente en las monedas de la serie numismática Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú se ve aplicada mediante el uso de líneas geométricas y orgánicas para representar un alto grado de iconicidad que se aproxime a los patrimonios culturales. Asimismo, las monedas apelan a la representación de hitos históricos que, en su mayoría, recurren a la construcción de una narrativa acerca de las civilizaciones del Antiguo Perú para perpetuar la historia peruana. Por lo tanto, se concluye que la iconografía presente en las monedas de la serie numismática Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú construye una narrativa homogénea del discurso de identidad nacional apelando, en su mayoría, a la herencia cultural del Antiguo Perú. / This research aims to analyze the construction of the iconography in the coins of the numismatic series Riqueza y Orgullo del Peru and the role it plays in the discourse of national identity. It is based on the hypothesis that the iconography present in the coins of this series builds a narrative of national heritage through the graphic synthesis of cultural heritages that represent historical landmarks of the departments of the Peruvian territory. The research focused on the qualitative study of ten coins of the numismatic series under the application of a thematic segmentation, temporal and geographic delimitation to cover greater diversity on the selection. In addition, the results obtained in the visual analysis were contrasted with the interviews carried out with key informants. The main results indicate that the iconography present in the coins of the numismatic series Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú is applied through the use of geometric and organic lines to represent a high degree of iconicity that approximates cultural heritages. Also, the coins appeal to the representation of historical milestones that, for the most part, resort to the construction of a narrative about the civilizations of Antiguo Peru to prevail Peruvian history. Therefore, it is concluded that the iconography present in the coins of the numismatic series Riqueza y Orgullo del Perú constructs a homogeneous narrative of the national identity discourse, appealing, for the most part, to the cultural heritage of Antiguo Peru. / Trabajo de investigación

Cette thèse cherche à mieux comprendre le rôle de la dimension visuelle dans les conflits contemporains en produisant des données empiriques sur les images, leur production, leur circulation et leurs réceptions dans deux cas d’études. Ces deux cas sont les confit urbain autour du trafic de drogue et du Primeiro Comando da Capital à Sao Paulo, et celui de l’insurrection de Boko Haram au Nigéria, Tchad et Cameroun. Cette approche montre que les conflits sont l’objet de controverses sur leurs définitions. Les acteurs de ces conflits tentent tous d’imposer des cadrages (framing) et interprétations de la situation en se servant des images. Quand les acteurs ne produisent pas d’images, ils sont forcés de proposer des interprétations de ces images. Pour montrer le rôle des images dans les controverses des deux conflits étudiés, deux concepts ont été élaborés. Le premier est celui de régime d’images qui correspond à des modes de fonctionnement de ces images permettant d'expliquer leur pouvoir sur les controverses. Ce concept est appliqué aux deux cas pour montrer les dynamiques visuelles propres à chaque conflit. Dans le cas de Boko Haram, nous identifions deux régimes, dont l’un a internationalisé le conflit. A Sao Paulo, les régimes d’images identifiés construisent les positions au sein de la controverse sur la violence. La thèse fait aussi l’hypothèse d’un capital esthétique des groupes armés qui pourrait être converti en capital militaire. Nous validons cette hypothèse en montrant le rôle de ce capital pour Boko Haram et le PCC. Les deux groupes s’efforcent de reprendre les codes visuels de l’Etat islamique pour manifester leur antagonisme politique. / This thesis aims at understanding the visual dimension of contemporary armed conflicts. To do so it presents empirical datas on the pictures, their production, circulation and reception during two armed conflicts. The first case is the urban conflict around drug trafficking and the Primeiro Comando da Capital in Sao Paulo. The second one is the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon. This approach shows that contemporary conflicts are entangled in controversies about their meaning and definition. The actors of theses conflicts try to impose their own framing and their interpretation of the conflict using pictures. When the actors do not produce images, they are forced to advance some interpretations of the pictures. To identify the role of images in controversies relating to armed conflicts the thesis develops two concepts. The first one is the « regime d’images ». It underlines the modes of functionment of these images and makes it possible to explain their power over the controversies. This concept is used to show the different dynamics in the two cases. Regarding the Boko Haram insurgency, one of the « regime d’image » contributed to the internationalization of the conflict. In Sao Paulo the regimes of images reinforce the different positions of the actors in the controversy. The thesis also develops the idea of aesthetic capital of armed groups. This aesthetic capital can be transformed into military capital. We validate this hypothesis showing how this capital worked for the PCC and Boko Haram. The two groups are forced to adopt the visual codes and the aesthetic of the Islamic State to manifest their political antagonism.

Studiens syfte var att uppmärksamma den svenska konstnären Elli Hemberg. Som ett exempel på ett av konstnärens offentligt placerade verk, analyserades och tolkades skulpturen Tre löv (1974) med ikonografisk/ikonologisk teori och metod. Analysen inspirerades även av semiotisk och receptionsestetisk teori och metod. Konstnären gestaltade en skulptur i rostfritt stål föreställande tre löv. Genom att använda ett klart och enhetligt formspråk skapade konstnären balans och harmoni, men även liv och rörelse i skulpturen. Skulpturens inre mening tolkades som samtida kritik av modernismens konstutveckling. Olika slags kontexter kan ha avgörande betydelse för betraktarens tolkning av verket. / The aim of the study was to draw attention to the Swedish artist Elli Hemberg. As an example of one of the artist´s publicly placed works, the sculpture Three Leaves (1974) was analyzed and interpreted using iconographic/iconological theory and method. The analysis was also inspired using semiotic and reception aesthetic theory and method. The artist created a stainless steel sculpture representing three leaves. By using a clear and uniform design language, the artist created balance and harmony, but also life and movement in the sculpture. The inner meaning of the sculpture was interpreted as contemporary criticism of the development of art during the modern era. Different kinds of contexts can be decisive for the viewer´s interpretation of the sculpture.

The overall theme of this thesis is the study of sensory pain assessment and describes how digital pain mapping using standardized iconography can be used to help portray and understand the sensory pain experience. The research presented in this thesis is focused on the design, development, and use of a web-based sensory pain assessment tool for individuals with chronic pain called the Pain-QuILT. “QuILT” is an acronym describing the different parameters that are captured by the tool: pain quality, intensity, and location in a digital format that can be tracked over time. The central hypothesis guiding this work is that users of pain assessment tools will tend to favour a digital icon-based sensory pain mapping tool (‘PainQuILT’) over currently available sensory pain assessment tools. “Pain assessment tool” has been operationally defined as a standardized method for capturing information about an individual’s sensory pain experience. In this context, “users” include both individuals experiencing chronic pain and healthcare providers who seek to assess and understand pain. Research to date has focused on phased evaluation of the Pain-QuILT in the context of clinical sensory pain assessment for two distinct user groups: adolescents (aged 12 to 18 years) and adults (aged 19 years and older) with chronic pain. Each stage of research has generated and been informed by user feedback, leading to iterative improvements in tool functionality. Thus, as a whole, this body of work represents an evolving effort to improve the clinical assessment of sensory pain using the approach of icon-based pain mapping in a digital and visual format. Through the collective research presented in this thesis, we have affirmed that digital pain mapping using iconography is a viable solution to the clinical challenge of sensory pain assessment in adolescents and adults with chronic pain. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

My study contains a semiotic analysis of three screen captures of still lifes from the music video PrettyBones by the artist Yeule, directed by Joy 秀 Song. The music video depicts several scenes with inspiration from the Dutch great power era and it’s still life painting. The visual elements of the music video have a focus on the course of life and one's own mortality, themes that have long been addressed through still life painting. My study is based mainly on David Petit’s (1988) studies about the symbolism and meaning of 16th-17th century Flemish still life painting. The study also contains segments of Fanny Ambjörnsson’s (2011) studies about the color pink. The purpose of the study is to investigate what the still life communicates through the context of 16th-17th century Flemish iconography and through acontemporary semiotic reading. Results of the study shows that there are similarities between the themes that are present in the still life with contemporary objects and the more traditional still lifes. It also touches on morals and societal norms about feminine identity.

The Massacre of Chios (1824) by Eugéne Delacroix illustrates the titular genocide from the Greek War of Independence. This genocide was a veritable razing of the entire island by Ottoman Turks in 1822. Today, a replica of Delacroix's painting resides on the island inside the entrance of the Chios Byzantine Museum, located in a converted mosque built on the ruins of a Christian church. This site is a case for the existence of non-Western temporalities, including liturgical and Aegean temporalities, as they pertain to the commemoration of the massacre through interaction with the replica. These temporalities are not causal or linear as in the West. On Chios, everyday interactions with history happen through the orthodox devotions and concomitant emotions of the present, with temporally transcendent icons, relics, and rituals promoting the imbrication of temporalities. The layout of the mosque, in its simplicity, conforms roughly to the plan of a Greek Orthodox church with the museum space organized to emphasize this, encouraging a liturgical temporality. Given that Chiots remember the massacre victims as tantamount to saints, the saturation of Christian elements in Delacroix's composition communes with the museum space to create an active site of memory, with the replica functioning like the Holy Greek Orthodox icons in the adjacent room, inviting a liturgical temporality. A comparable site, Agio Minas, a major massacre site in Southern Chios, also exhibits genocide victims as saints through eikonic imagery; here, victims' remains are displayed as relics alongside an icon of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, setting the stage, so to speak, for the naos where blood still stains the stone floor. In a similar way, the replica located in the "narthex" of the museum mediates a preparatory experience that overlays a narrative of Christian martyrdom onto the museum's "naos," where visitors engage with the icon collection. The proximity of replica and Byzantine collection overlays Chios' destruction with that of Constantinople's, collapsing time and presenting the two as related events. The Chios Byzantine Museum exemplifies what anthropologist Nicolas Argenti has termed "Aegean temporality," where past and present overlap in physical and incorporeal sites of memory. Orthodox icons do just that: transcendent and a-temporal by nature, their efficacy lies in bringing the pictured figure into the present moment and "enfleshing" remembrance as a current reality. The replica Massacre of Chios likewise acts as an active a-temporal object. Because of affordances granted by the narthex space and eikonic associations, it sacralizes the museum space into a living site of memory. With Aegean temporality facilitating a constant re-experiencing of the massacre, the massacre's presence and potency is not something left in the past. The painting's status as a semi-icon supports the immediacy of the massacre, as the viewer spiritually interacts with the image in the present.

At the end of the fifteenth century, Hieronymus Bosch provided the foremost expression of the strict religious piety embodied by the Devotio Moderna and the impending embrace of secular humanism. As a result, Bosch's seemingly complex images provided viewers with positive messages concerning the journey of life through the use of binary symbolism. He utilized the pilgrimage motif as a guide throughout his paintings and in relation to the liminal spaces surrounding his works. This article will examine his important triptych, The Haywain, (c.1495-1516) as an example of spiritual paths taken simultaneously by both religious and contemporary figures, along with the viewers themselves. The underlying theme of Christ's Ascension in The Haywain plays out in an interwoven assortment of journeys, identified by characteristic northern and medieval Christian iconography. Christ's final journey acts as the ultimate goal and the paradigm for both the pilgrim within the triptych and the viewer. Evidence of processional celebrations mimicking pilgrimages reveals that the motifs in Bosch's works were located throughout his visual culture. Finally, an investigation of Bosch's 1505 triptych The Temptation of St. Anthony reveals that Bosch remains consistent in his use of the pilgrimage theme. Bosch worked within the context of the visual and textual culture of the Netherlandish city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, and despite his creative style, was understood among his contemporaries as a messenger of positive piety.