Umberto Eco and the problem of iconism

This paper focuses on the main features and evolution of the so-called “debate on iconism,” in which Eco was deeply involved. This discussion (one of the most important in general and visual semiotics) began at the end of the 1960s and dealt with the problem of reality and image perception. It was c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Semiotica 2015-08, Vol.2015 (206), p.129-160
Main Author: Polidoro, Piero
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
conventionality
Eco
Eco, Umberto (1932-2016)
iconism
Imagery
Semiotics
visual language
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Summary:This paper focuses on the main features and evolution of the so-called “debate on iconism,” in which Eco was deeply involved. This discussion (one of the most important in general and visual semiotics) began at the end of the 1960s and dealt with the problem of reality and image perception. It was characterized by the contrast between the supporters of visual language “naturality” and those of its “conventionality.” In (1968) and (1975, ), Eco elaborated a moderate conventionalist theory. More than 20 years later, in (1997, ), he focused his attention on the link between reality and visual language. The article aims to understand what has really changed in Eco’s theory and how far the reflections in were already implied in his first ideas. Besides, the article underlines the importance of perceptive modalities theory, Eco’s most recent contribution to visual semiotics.
ISSN:0037-1998
1613-3692
DOI:10.1515/sem-2015-0020