#iconological analysis

Iconological Analysis

Kaye Blegvad, Good Lovers Lie, 2015

Visual Elements   

The specific design of Kaye Blegvad is clearly recognizable by its clean and minimalist styling, where with a few elements are actually said a lot.

This is one of her pieces, which is dedicated to Valentine's Day. It represents a kissing love couple but instead of  their faces they wear a masks. 

Or as Clancy Martin says in The New York Times : " VALENTINE’S DAY is not a celebration of truth telling. God forbid! Relationships last only if we don’t always say exactly what we’re thinking. We have to disguise our feelings, to feint, to smile sometimes when we want to shout. In short, we have to lie.

We all tell lies, and ...we lie particularly often when it comes to love, because we care more about love than we care about most things, and because love causes us more fear than most things do, and caring and fearing are two of the most common reasons for lying.” (Martin,C.,Good Lovers Lie, The New York Times, Feb.,7,2015, online)

The composition is well balanced and clear of any details. The focus falls on this two people who are merged in a hug and this is actually the dominant element.

The negative space around them once more emphasizes the two figures that are merged into one.

Three colours are used: white, black and pink and the use of each of them is symbolic.

There is a balance in the use of colours - none of them is dominant. The figures of the lovers are solved in the two monochrome shades: white / black. Though contrasting and antagonistic, these colours are clear and specific - everyone on their own. The pink is the relationship between the lovers and the common part between them and its choice is also not accidental: according to common beliefs this colour is a symbol of love. This colour is not used in a larger quantity than the other two but it seems to stand out and influence the observer by catching his eyes.

White is the masks and the choice of this colour also creates a certain association with the purity and innocence with which the western society usually associates this colour.

The consistency (surface, texture) here is rather hinted, and it is only intended to convey some idea of the volume of otherwise flat two-dimensional images.

In general, all the above elements:

symmetrically arranged figures in the composition that create a sense of harmony;