Iconographic and Iconological Criticism of Nuri İyem's "Blacksmith" by Erwin Panofsky

Abstract

One of the 20th century's leading artists of Turkish painting, Nuri İyem draws attention as a painter with a strong figurative expression who adopts social realism in his works. He is known for his works that reflect Anatolian people, especially women and laborers, in a simple yet profound way. In this study, the artist's work "Blacksmith", which focuses on rural life and labor, is analyzed based on the "Iconographic and Iconological Method of Art Criticism" developed by the German art historian Erwin Panofsky.

Panofsky's method proposes a three-stage examination in making sense of works of art: preliminary iconographic description, iconographic analysis, and iconological interpretation. With this approach, elements such as the figure's posture, clothing, and working space in "Blacksmith" are first described; then the meanings of these elements in the historical and cultural context are interpreted. In the final stage, the underlying worldview, social, and intellectual structure of the work is analyzed.

As a result of the analysis, it is seen that İyem presents a multi-layered narrative symbolizing the concepts of labor, production, and identity through an artisan figure in "Blacksmith". In this context, Panofsky's method has been an effective tool in making sense of the deep structure of the work and has once again demonstrated that art is a form of intellectual expression.