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Préface to W.J.T. Mitchell's Iconology: Image, Text, Ideology

publication · 2026-04-23

A preface to W.J.T. Mitchell's seminal work 'Iconology: Image, Text, Ideology' has been made available as a downloadable PDF on artpress.com. The text, originally published in 2009, introduces Mitchell's critical framework for understanding the relationship between images, texts, and ideologies. Mitchell, a prominent American art historian and theorist at the University of Chicago, explores how images function within cultural and political contexts. The preface outlines key concepts such as the 'pictorial turn' and the interplay between visual and verbal representation. This publication offers readers an entry point into Mitchell's influential theories on iconology, which have shaped contemporary art criticism and visual culture studies.

Key facts

  • Preface to W.J.T. Mitchell's 'Iconology: Image, Text, Ideology' is available as a PDF.
  • The text was published on artpress.com in 2009.
  • W.J.T. Mitchell is an American art historian and theorist at the University of Chicago.
  • The preface introduces Mitchell's concept of the 'pictorial turn'.
  • The work examines the relationship between images, texts, and ideologies.
  • Mitchell's theories have influenced contemporary art criticism and visual culture studies.

Entities

Artists

  • W.J.T. Mitchell

Institutions

  • University of Chicago
  • artpress.com

Sources