The Internationale of Pictures

An essay on semio-history

Abstract

The essay deals with a concept in historical research, referred to as semio-history and imagology. The author attempts to develop a certain theoretical basis and a methodology to analyse visual sources for historical research, based on the assumption of a common international ability to decode pictures. He presents his arguments by describing and analysing films situated in the time of the French Revolution (among these films by Scola, Tavernier, and Wajda). On this basis, he refers to methodological issues of the current debate in semio-history, putting forward the necessity of an interdisciplinary approach.