liconografia

Liconografía is a term that appears in some Spanish-language texts to denote the study and interpretation of images and symbols; however, it is not widely standardized and often occurs as a variant spelling or a confusion with iconografía. In practice, its use generally overlaps with established fields concerned with visual representation and meaning.

The scope of liconografía, when used, includes the analysis of images across a range of contexts such as religious art, political iconography, film and media imagery, advertising logos, and heraldry. It examines how motifs, styles, patronage, audiences, and reception shape the interpretation of visual culture. The aim is to understand how images convey ideas, values, power, and identity within specific historical and cultural settings.

Methods commonly associated with this area include visual analysis, semiotic approaches, and cross-cultural comparison. Researchers may draw on art history, cultural studies, anthropology, and media studies to interpret symbols, motifs, and iconographic programs, as well as to situate images within broader social and historical processes.

Etymology and terminology notes: the term would be expected to derive from roots meaning image (icon-) and writing or description (-grafia), similar to iconografía. The prefixed form l- is nonstandard, and most scholars prefer iconografía. Consequently, liconografía is often treated as a less common or erroneous variant rather than a distinct field.

See also: Iconografía, Iconología, Semiotics.