Study on Tony Oursler’s Techno-Image “Eyes” from E.H. Gombrich"s Perspective of Iconography

Abstract

Tony Oursler is a media artist although his artworks are not wholly confined by the techniques of this digital age. Unlike many of his peers, his artistic practice is still connected to the development of art. His works inherit many features of modernism, especially the styles of pop art and surrealism. In the realm of contemporary media art, he is also representative in the use of symbolic and metaphorical images. Oursler"s artistic practice plays a significant role in reviving the use of symbolic images, which has been on the wane of late. Inspired by the necessity of techno-images and the text explanation that was proposed by Vilém Flusser, this study, based on E.H. Gombrich"s iconography theory, analyzes the subject. E.H. Gombrich played an essential role in the discipline of iconography. He analyzed and interpreted images following the convention of and from the perspective of multi-angle thinking. His theory involves the reproduction, symbolism, metaphors, personification, and other functions of images. This paper discusses Tony Oursler"s quintessential representative techno-image "eyes" from Gombrich"s theoretical perspective of iconography. This paper explores how his artistic innovations are deeply rooted in classical culture and art, and demonstrates the functions, values, and practical significance of such a unique image using methods from the digital age. Additionally, this paper also explores the technoimage "eyes" in the contexts of its form and implication, demonstrating the psychological effects and aesthetic appeal brought by the application of particular images based on psychological theories.