Hearts and Thoughts

It's the week following Valentine’s Day. Maybe at this point, you are sick of anything red and heart shaped after being inundated with Valentine messages and imagery since the New Year. Maybe you love anything heart shaped, wearing it as jewelry and decorating your room or home with hearts from country to contemporary. We use heart icons in so many ways. In a greeting card we can find kitschy expressions of adoration. In fine art paintings we find the symbol used as an expression of deep love or as in a Frida Kahlo painting, deep pain. It even has worked its way into our language to replace words like in the famous “ I heart New York” slogan. But all these references point back to a way to visually express an emotion that is not easily depicted without an icon to represent them.

My research into iconography would not be complete without exploring the origin of the heart shape. How did this symmetrical symbol that only vaguely resembles the actual organ become a universal icon? An internet search to find the true origin of the popular heart shape will provide a variety of results. Everything from ancient Egyptian and Inca art, to a stylized silphium seed pod engraving, to a heavenly 17th century Christian saint Margaret Mary Alacoque’s vision.

Few visual examples can be found of the heart shaped icon appearing in ancient art or implements, but religious art is filled with the heart image, particularly the Sacred Hearts. This image of a heart glowing with flames on top and pierced and bleeding from the crown of thorns wrapped around it has been repeated by many artists throughout history. Again the heart was chosen in an effort to explain concepts of deep love and faith by using a visual representation of a universally understood image.

The Valentine’s sentiments may have faded now. But, the life span of the heart icon shows how powerful an image about sentiment can be. Emotions such as love, faith and passion are difficult to put into words or to show actions for. Iconography, particularly in this case the heart, helps us to express or display complex topics in simplified forms.

*Sacred Heart sketch by Janet Pahlau

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