Shared language is the commonly understood usage of symbols, shapes, and references that communicate an idea. The example used in the text for shared language is of chinese calligraphy and language - how if you don’t understand chinese the calligraphy is visually interesting but makes no sense. Another example from the text for shared language is of William Kentridge’s piece - where knowledge of the history of South Africa is needed in order to understand the context of his piece to the view. Another general example for shared language is this paragraph - it is made up of symbols, letters, to make this idea known to the reader, to communicate my idea. If this paragraph doesn’t make sense to the reader, or the reader doesn’t read english, the…show more content… For example, the text gives us Haylor-McDowell’s The Serpent Didn’t Lie for example of iconography, which features several references to other periods in art history - specifically Rodin’s The Kiss and Leonardo da Vinci’s sketch of a fetus. Haylor-McDowell alludes to images that hold a certain meaning that would juxtapose the Garden of Eden. Rodin’s sculpture features Francesca and Paolo, two lovers trapped in Hell from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. However, if you didn’t know the history of these items, or recognize them, they wouldn’t stand out as an icon - meaning that the piece The Serpent Didn’t Lie wouldn’t have the connotation of the two lustful lovers associated with the Garden of Eden. Iconography can also use certain symbols to convey specific genres - such as iconography in art, iconography in film and television, and religious iconography. Christianity provides a good example for religious iconography, because when we think of Christianity we think of the Cross - the Icon of Christ and Christianity, and of the blue robes of the Virgin Mary. When you look at a piece of Christian artwork, you can recognize Mary from her blue
