The eagle is more "natural" in its conveying the quality of strength, but in addition, the symbol here points to "value" and "buying power."

Symbols in art

1- Clouds mean rain, a falling barometer means that a storm is coming, a twister in the sky means an approaching tornado: one is a sign of the other. These relations exist in nature and were discovered, not invented by humans. On the other hand, a bell ringing means the end of class, the word “cat” means a certain species of domesticated quadruped. These relations are conventional. 2- In art, what is it that makes a thing a symbol? It is something represented in the artwork (an object, an action, or a pattern of objects and actions, or just a color) that does the symbolizing? How does A become a symbol of B? 3- The cross is a symbol of Christianity (a conventional token of suffering) but this is a historic and religious convention. Though used as the main symbol of nazism, the swastika is considered sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Who owns the symbol? The sun seems like a natural symbol of life and strength; a river brings forth the idea of eternal change and flowing, and so forth. In these cases there was no agreement (convention) as to what would stand for what; the relation is too obvious. 4- According to philosopher Nelson Goodman one can virtually make any A to stand for any B, provided one can justify the link -an important premise for an artist. 5- Here are some examples of how virtually anything can be a symbol for something else: animals, parts of the body, abstract characters, artefacts, plants, etc. A circle → the cosmos (in Shamanism); a triangle→ perfection; an ant→ industry; the ape → loyalty and devotion (ancient India); the arch→ the union of earth and sky (ancient Greece); the human beard→ wisdom, strength and virility (Semitic religions); blood→ a tantric image of fertilization (Vedas); ying/yang→ positive, negative (Ancient China); A and ω→ beginning and end (ancient Greece); the dog→ watchful guardian (ancient Egypt); Moby Dick→evil. 6- So, to further problematize the issue: What would Duchamp's Fountain stand for?

For some Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" has become the opposite of the original image. But would it matter if you didn't know the controversy?

The skull depicted in this painting by Dürer may count as more "natural" than "conventional" because of the obvious reference that the symbol has with mortality.

Both these images are pretty vague. On the left, the superimposition of two faces (a young woman over an old lady). On the right, Wittgenstein's famous Duck/Rabbit. Both point to so called psychological illusions.

The meaning of the double SS (Schutzstaffel) in the context of the 20th Century is all too clear. However, the symbol is conventional. Is it possible to imagine the same token having a different meaning in the future?

Mies' "Seagram Building": A glass box masterpiece, much imitated, never quite duplicated. What does it stand for? Can a symbol change its meaning through time?

Symbol is context bound. In this still life, for instance, the bread does not represent the body of Christ.

Barbara Kruger's "visual messages" look like spin-offs from advertising and propaganda. They are short, witty, often contradictory, and enough to make us think. A symbol of what?

In this painting of Linda Vallejo at the Bronx Museum of Art, entitled "Alpha and Omega" she tries to convey the idea of beginning and end. But none of this is obvious from the painting. Can a title change the meaning of a painting? Why?

Ying/yang is an example of so called "abstract symbols" in art. The outer circle represents "everything", while the black and white shapes within the circle represent the interaction of two energies, called "yin" (black) and "yang" (white), which cause everything to happen. They are not completely black or white, just as things in life are not completely black or white, and they cannot exist without each other. While "yin" would be dark, passive, downward, cold, contracting, and weak, "yang" would be bright, active, upward, hot, expanding, and strong. The shape of the yin and yang sections of the symbol, actually gives you a sense of the continual movement of these two energies, yin to yang and yang to yin, causing everything to happen: just as things expand and contract, and temperature changes from hot to cold. Does the figure express the symbol?

In many other representations of the descent, the cross is clearly visible. Max Beckmann suggests the idea with the shape of Christ's body (with extended arms). Is it fitting?

If you didn't know Greek mythology and how it has been rendered in Western art, you wouldn't recognize Poseidon (the god of the seas) in this painting by the dutch painter Jacob de Gheyn.

John Wayne can be seen as a symbol of the American macho. But this is a convention only because of certain roles Wayne played throughout his movie career (exceptional among those is John Ford's The Searchers, a definite masterpiece!)

In many civilizations, the sun stands for life and/or strength. Why? These ancient symbols seem to have strong connections. Is it true that a symbol can be independent of (man-made) conventions?

What does this image symbolize?