THE LABYRINTH OF SYMBOLS: THE HIDDEN SYMBOLIC SYSTEM IN RENAISSANCE PAINTING AND THE "DECODING" PLEASURE OF THE VIEWER

This paper examines Renaissance painting as an intricate "visual codebook." Through symbolic elements such as flowers, animals, light, and shadow, the paintings integrate religious, classical, and humanist knowledge to construct a multi-layered system of meaning. The act of decoding by viewers was not merely an intellectual game or spiritual edification but also a practical activity that demonstrated cultural capital and social identity, from which they derived unique aesthetic and cognitive pleasure.