« NTU Philosophical Review No.24Publish: 2001/01
Reflections on the Nature of the Figural in Art
Author:Gérald Cipriani
Abstract /
In this essay I develop evelop a critique of different modes of understanding what is a moment of meaningful form in art (the figural). I attempt to show that approaches which maintain a separation between form and content, or the subjective and the objective cannot truly do justice to the presentational nature of meaning in art. In particular, I refer to Mikel Dufrenne`s conception of expression in his Phenomenology of Aesthetic Experience as being paradoxically misleading when it comes to understand the figural in its phenomentality. I ultimately argue for the need to bear in mind that the relationship between presentation and representation, or experience and objectivity ought to be approached in terms of complementary difference.
Keywords:
Dufrenne,Art,Figural,Phenomenon,Expression