Vom Bild zum Bild – Digital Humanities jenseits des Textes

This paper outlines the historical development and methodical challenges of digital visual studies. Although it was argued early on that the strength of the computer lay in formal rather than iconographic analysis, in practice the iconographic encoding of images and the collection of metadata dominated for a long time. However, scholars and practitioners of digital visual studies soon demanded a thorough ›Ideologiekritik‹ (›critique of ideology‹) of its methods. Today, the field encompasses a broad spectrum of formal and iconographical, as well as reception-based studies. Furthermore, it can help to establish the critical reflection on methodical implications as a core issue for the digital humanities.