Bildtheorie
Bildtheorie, or image theory, is an interdisciplinary field within art history, philosophy, and media studies that analyzes images as fundamental forms of knowledge, communication, and culture. It asks What counts as an image? How do images convey meaning? How do viewers interpret images in different social and historical contexts? The field also examines how images relate to text, how they function within institutions and markets, and how power, ideology, and ethics shape and are shaped by visual Media.
Historically, Bildtheorie draws on approaches such as iconology and iconography, notably in the work of Erwin
Methods commonly used in Bildtheorie include iconological and semiotic analysis, discourse analysis, and studies of visual