Ambiguities on disabled bodies in artworks: a Critical Iconology perspective

This research situates itself at the intersection of disability studies and visual studies, employing a methodology informed by Critical Iconology as developed by Aby Warburg to analyze the representation of the disabled body in artworks in the twentieth century. It critiques and extends the discourse around the cultural perception of disability, by examining visual representations of impairment across diverse artworks between1920–1999. The study collects and maps images of the disabled body from different periods, examining the meanings of signs and patterns of impairment by adopting the critical theoretical frame of the social model of disability and ableism. Critical Iconology provides the tools to understand what the images say through cultural and social political circumstances. This research seeks to dismantle stereotypes and advance a nuanced understanding of the disabled body as depicted in visual arts.