Painting Codes by Rebecca Murphy

"Painting Codes" unveils the captivating realm of art history, decoding hidden meanings and symbolism within famous paintings. It explores how artists used coded imagery to express ideas, often under societal constraints. For example, mundane objects in Northern Renaissance paintings, like a seemingly simple mirror, could symbolize vanity or hidden knowledge. Understanding these painting codes enriches our appreciation of art, providing insights into historical periods and the visual language of the time.

The book examines the historical context and symbolic systems influencing artists, revealing how political, religious, and social pressures shaped artistic expression. It deciphers common symbolic languages like alchemy and mythology, frequently incorporated into paintings to imbue them with deeper meaning. The Renaissance art movement, for instance, saw artists embedding coded religious and philosophical ideas into their works.

"Painting Codes" begins by introducing coded communication in art, then focuses on case studies, exploring Renaissance and Northern Renaissance paintings, and concludes with the legacy of coded symbolism in later art movements.