noun
Academic term for the study and interpretation of visual symbols and images, especially in art history.
彼は大学で図像学を専攻している。
He is majoring in iconography at university.
この絵画の図像学的分析は興味深い。
The iconographic analysis of this painting is fascinating.
イコノグラフィー is a direct loanword from English, often used in art criticism, while 図像学 is the native Japanese academic term.
Compound of 図像 (icon, image) and 学 (study, -ology). The term was coined in Japanese to translate the Western concept of iconography.