Semiotics is the theory of signs to represent something else and builds off iconology. These signs have multi-faceted connections and investigate how signs are to be recognized and interpreted to create meaning. The two main people who developed this method created different steps and procedures to apply this, but I think the best and easiest way to apply this is the Signifier and Signified. The Signifier is the form the sign takes whether it is a motion, gesture, sound, image, pattern or event that conveys meaning and communicates while the Signified is the concept it represents. Lets take a rose for an example. The signifier would be the word "rose" itself, a picture of a rose, the rose smell, or an outline of the rose. The signified would be the mental image of the rose and the physical rose itself. The signifier is connected with connotations, which are the feelings, ideas and cultural meanings which are associated with the word or object rather than the literal meaning. Take our rose example - the connotation could be romance, love, Valentine's Day. The signified is connected with the denotation, which is the literal and primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests.
The signifiers can also build upon one another with different symbols, icons, and indexes to play into the larger code of signs. An icon is a sign which refers to the object that is denotes by resemblance and similarity. So an example of this type of icon could be the volume button showing a higher and lower volume when changed. Or an emoticon that shows a smiley face refers to being happy and smiling due to its resemblance and similarity. An index is a sign or representation that refers to an object because it has a natural connection. The senses and memory of the person are important in this as well as the object at hand. An example is that smoke is an index of fire, the signifier (smoke) is caused by the signified (fire). A symbol is a sign which refers to the object that it denotes by virtues of laws, rule, convention, and culture. An example is when we see a red octagon, we know that it is a stop sign, even if it does not have white lettering with the word 'stop' on it.
This code is the context which is the reality that the sender and receiver of signs share. Semiotics can be used when codes are shared and understood between senders and receivers in order to understand a piece. In order to be successful, there must be little to no miscommunication. The sender and the receiver need to understand the same code, including when signs become signs become signs and so forth. Semiotics uses signs and symbols in order to apply it to art based on the complexities of what is and is not obvious. The goal of semiotics is to understand signs and their relationships and how they generate meaning. Iconology and iconography are also about meaning however semiotics takes account the viewer of the image. It is an interdisciplinary approach that considers the process of creating meaning.
Questions regarding semiotics are a bit more personalized because it has more to do with how we know what signs and symbols mean, as well as how they have come to mean these things. Here are a few questions to guide your experience with semiotics:
-What signs, symbols, icons, and indexes do you see within this piece?
-What do these things we mean?
-How are these things communicated to us?
-What images are seen in my mind when I see these signs, symbols, icons, and indexes?
-Why or how do we know that they mean these things?
A great example of semiotics is in learning how to understand icons.

Christ Pantocrator, Prosopon School of Iconology. St. Michael Catholic Church, St. Michael, MN.
St. Bartholomew, St. Paul, and St. John, Prosopon School of Iconology. St. Michael Catholic Church, St. Michael, MN.
Instead of talking about a specific piece, I thought I would talk about icons in general. I wrote a whole piece on The Trinity by Andrei Rublev but I thought I would introduce you to Christ Pantocrator as well as three of the twelve saints in a church dome. In what I have written above, it shows how semiotics is not as scary or official as outlined above. It is something that we naturally do based on what we have learned and making natural connections between signs, symbols, indexes, and icons!
The dome features an icon of Christ Pantocrator, meaning “Ruler of All”, and He is surrounded by the 12 apostles. It is fitting that the Ruler of All should make us gaze upwards, into the dome of the Church. It is a heavenly reality that is depicted here, that our Lord rules over heaven and Earth. The color scheme has earthy tones and vibrant green/floral colors all the way to the deep blue of heaven reminds us of what God has created for us. Christ is holding a book, which could be the book of life. This book holds the names of all those who are in heaven with Christ. It is a reminder that we must strive every day to become holy, more closely united with Christ so that we may have our names written among the list of saints in heaven. Only He can open the book of life, just the same way that only He has the power to create new life in all of creation.
Him holding a book is also a reminder of Christ as our Teacher. It is he who reveals all to us, He is the light of the world. This light casts out all darkness, all sin and reveals to us the truth. The apostles are all linked to Christ because it is through them that the teaching of the Church was dispensed and continues to be through their successors – the pope, bishops, and priests. The light and life of Christ is seen in the Pantocrator as we gaze upwards to heaven, where we always must look to find Christ, the true Lamb, Teacher, and King.
The identity of Jesus is also made known in the Greek symbols. In the sea of blue there are the letters IC XC, which identifies Him as Jesus Christ. In the halo around his head there are the O W N, which means “He Who Is”. This is a reminder of God speaking to Moses, commissioning him to go save the Israelites and bring them out of Egypt. God says “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14). We are reminded that Jesus is the same “I AM” in the Gospels multiple times especially in the Gospel of John. Jesus is not just a holy man, but He is God Himself. Jesus is the one who is, and we are the ones who are not. Jesus is also raising his hand in blessing in this icon. The shape of his fingers bend to form the letters IC XC. His name blesses us abundantly, and it is why we sign ourselves with the cross and say “In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit”. It is God alone who pours blessing upon us, and His name brings about His presence in our lives.
In western paintings, usually we talk about everything having a “light source”. What makes something realistic is if you are able to tell where the light is coming from, and this makes the shadows and proportions more realistic. In iconography though, you do not have this issue. The light source is from within. Holy men and women have the Divine Light of Christ within them, so that they do not need the outer world to make them seen, they are seen by God alone. The radiance of Christ within our souls is the most important light that we must possess. We must not hide our light under a basket, we must let it shine!
You might be wondering why icons look so far from being real. This stylization that has the features of Christ and other saints in depictions came to be seen as a more acceptable manner than realism. They are thought to be less “earthly” and more “heavenly” since it focuses less on what they looked like and more about representing the characteristics that they themselves possess. This does not deter or look down upon realistic paintings or portraits, but this symbolism helps to focus your attention more on the person being depicted, rather than how well (or not well) the painter did to make it realistic. A few common aspects of features in icons are the large heads, thin noses, large eyes and ears, and small mouths. These reflect a common thread of shared virtues in saints. The large heads reflect that they have spiritual wisdom, they learn and study in different ways in order to know God intimately and deeply. They have thin noses because they are focused on the heavenly incense of the Kingdom of God. Their thin noses help them to take in our prayers that are lifted up with the incense at mass. Their large eyes are open to see God, even on Earth in the people and creation around them. Their large ears symbolize that they listen to the Word of God because as we are reminded in 1 Kings 19:12, the Lord was in the “still small voice” not the wind, fire or earthquake. The small mouths symbolize that the saints do not engage in idol talk. They let the Lord God speak more than they themselves do.
An icon is a symbol of the heavenly reality, which is also reflected in how iconographers create. Traditional iconography is said to be written, not painted. This is because the iconographers undergo a fasting period before they start to create, and there are a series of prayers said while they are working. They are writing their prayer in the form of an image of Christ or another holy person. In the Eastern tradition icons are the living and visible Word of God. These icons were made using tempera – natural pigments suspended in an emulsion of water and egg or oil. The technique allows finer color gradations that last for centuries. Icons are made to last, just like our Church is made to last. This itself has theology behind it, that God’s beauty, wisdom, knowledge, goodness and truth are everlasting.
Let us pray -
Lord, thank you for giving us numerous signs of your presence. We praise you for making us creatures that always search for meaning and understanding in this world you have created for us. May we have a renewed curiosity in the signs and symbols that you place in our lives and seek out understanding what they mean. Help us to have fresh eyes on how you communicate with us everyday of our lives. Help us to be living signs of you and your Son, Jesus Christ, so that when others see us they see a reflection of you. May we be like the saints that signify your universal virtue and charity that is beyond all imagination. Thank you for loving us to make a life worth diving into and for beautiful mysteries to be unfolded.
Amen.
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