Iconology refers to the interpretation of social and cultural concepts embedded within a work of art. While there is no consensus on the precise link between the fields of art and sociology, an examination of extant images and paintings depicting methods of execution from the eighteenth and twentieth centuries suggests the possibility of a sociological interpretation of the death penalty. Over the past three decades, a significant cultural shift has occurred within the sociology of punishment. In a field traditionally dominated by approaches emphasizing class control and disciplinary power, the influence of representation can no longer be ignored. Iconology refers to the interpretation of social and cultural concepts embedded within a work of art. While there is no consensus on the precise link between the fields of art and sociology, an examination of extant images and
paintings depicting methods of execution from the eighteenth and twentieth centuries suggests the possibility of a sociological interpretation of the death penalty. Over the past three decades, a significant cultural shift has occurred within the sociology of punishment. In a field traditionally dominated by approaches emphasizing class control and disciplinary power, the influence of representation can no longer be ignored.
This research employs the iconology method to explore the sociological interpretation of the death penalty, focusing on two emblematic examples. The first example is William Hogarth's engraving of an execution by gallows in eighteenth-century Tyburn Square, London, and the second is Andy Warhol's "Electric Chair" painting from the twentieth century. Both artworks elucidate the social and political contexts of their respective periods and reveal significant differences in the meaning of punishment. This study is basic and descriptive-analytical in nature, with information sourced from books and articles in Persian and English.