Feasibility Study of Utilizing Iconology in Interpretation of Abstract Works of Art

Iconology as an approach- method in Art history Studies which has had a long history and in Iran has always been the center of attention and many books and articles have been compiled about this method. The studies in which this method is used, the studied works has had historical record. In spite of using this method in modern art, it has never been used in interpretation of an Abstract works of art. Using Iconology in mere interpretation of a historical work paved the way to utilize it in Abstract art. In fact, the objective of this feasibility Study is the possibility of using the method of Iconology in interpretation of the Abstract Visual works. The hypothesis of this research is that whether the method of iconology wants recognition of meaning in front of form. In interpretation of the Abstract works (regarding the multiplicity of meanings and relativity of the meaning) is that a practical method or not. According to the hypothesis, iconology is on the basis of the meaning and this meaning in the relative world of Abstract art is inaccessible fundamentally multiple, and relative. The method of collecting informations is library method and the method of this research is analytical-historical. The finding of this research is that understanding the primary and immediate meaning in abstract nonrepresentational art is not feasible, because Iconology seems a deficient method for interpretation of Abstract works of art according to its bases that is a method attends to Content versus of Form. There is no Image in many of Abstract works of art and those contain some line and color spots that shape nothing. In many works of art, the visual elements have no symbolic modes because they are nonrepresentational and there is no icon or symbol in them and iconology emphasizes on symbolic values. Then about the nonrepresentational works of art, iconology is ceased in the first step.  In abstract works which carry image is not possible to get access to a unified meaning through the form and the recognized identity does not reconcile with essence and nature of the work because one of the structures of the Abstract art is multiplicity of meanings in a single form. According to attitudes to relative ideas in science, philosophy and art across the modern world, it seems no way to finding the meaning of works of art. In many of artworks the meaning that the artist wants to say, is not the meaning that the viewer recognizes and there are many differences between the intention of artist and perception of viewer. Many of works of art no represent any thing of the nature, then the viewers cannot recognize any thing in the work of art that exists in the nature environs them. Consequently, it should be said that iconology is applicable on the representational works of art works that taking their identity from the texts, oral culture, and generally from the nature, not for the Abstract art which has a relative identity.