WHAT IS Subject matter / iconography?

One of the most basic types of contextual analysis is the interpretation of subject matter. Much art is representational (i.e., it creates a likeness of something), and naturally we want to understand what is shown and why. Art historians call the subject matter of images iconography. Iconographic analysis is the interpretation of its meaning. In many cases, such as an image of the crucified Christ or seated Buddha, identifying the subject presents few problems. When the iconography is obscure or treated in an unusual way, art historians try to understand it by studying the historical context in which the image was made, typically through comparison with texts and other imagery from the time. With challenging images, scholars may disagree on which contextual materials are relevant, resulting in conflicting interpretations. For many complex or enigmatic works, the meanings of the subject matter continue to be debated and reinterpreted today.

Function of art

Another common aspect of art investigated through contextual analysis is function. Historically, many works of art and nearly all architecture were intended to serve some purpose beyond the aesthetic. Understanding function is crucial because it usually plays a role in determining many features, including iconography, materials, format, and aspects of style. At the most basic level, art historians analyze function by identifying types—an altarpiece, portrait, Book of Hours, tomb, palace, etc. Studying the history and use of a given type provides a context for understanding specific examples.

Analysis of function becomes more complex when the personal motivations of the people responsible for making a work are considered. For much of history, this includes not only artists but also the patrons who commissioned works and in some cases, advisors acting on the patron’s behalf. When such agents can be identified, definitively or hypothetically, their motivations become potential contexts for understanding purpose and appearance.

Direct pleasure - Art is "a source of immediate experiential pleasure in itself." 

Skill and virtuosity - The making of art requires and demonstrates "specialized" skill 

Style. Objects and performances in all art forms are made in recognizable styles, according to rules of form, composition, or expression."

Novelty and creativity -  These qualities, as well as "the capacity to surprise," are integral to art in Dutton's view. 

Criticism:"Wherever artistic forms are found, they exist alongside some kind of critical judgment and appreciation, simple or, more likely, elaborate."

Representation - "Art objects . . . represent or imitate real and imagined experiences of the world." 

Special focus -  All art is "bracketed off from ordinary life, made a separate and dramatic focus of experience" 

Expressive individuality -  A work of art possesses this trait (but so does "[a]ny ordinary activity with a creative component--everyday speech, lecturing, home hospitality" and so on)

Emotional saturation - Art is "shot through with emotion" 

Intellectual challenge -  Art "tends to be designed to utilize the combined variety of human perceptual and intellectual capacities to the full extent." 

Art traditions and institutions - Works of art "gain their identity by the ways they are found in historical traditions, in lines of historical precedents."

Imaginative experience - The chief defining characteristic of art may be that its objects "provide an imaginative experience for both producers and audiences." 

According to Ben Dutton "What Makes Art Art?"