Pictograph 1946 - 1947

Adolph Gottlieb’s “Pictograph” presents a surface divided into a grid of varied, symbolic forms rendered in muted blues, yellows, and whites. The composition, almost like an ancient tablet, invites decoding. Gottlieb was interested in how art could tap into universal myths and primal symbols. Each cell contains stylized images—eyes, faces, geometric shapes—that act as visual signs. This structure mirrors the semiotic theories which propose that meaning is created through systems of signs. The symbols, while personal to Gottlieb, suggest broader themes like identity, ritual, and the subconscious. Gottlieb challenges the notion of fixed meaning, prompting viewers to engage in their own interpretation. The grid format, however, provides a framework, a structure within which these free-floating symbols can interact. The pictograph invites us to consider how meaning is constructed through both individual expression and collective cultural understanding.