Jean-Marie Klinkenberg

The Appropriation of the Work of Art as a Semiotic Act

A work of art can be defined as a section of space (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) that has been assigned a particular status. It is not our intention to define this status—philosophical aesthetics has been addressing this issue for centuries. Rather, we aim to pinpoint the mechanisms in virtue of which this section of space is isolated and bestowed with the status in question. Such a move requires the action of a certain instance—hence the emphasis we put on the interactive character of the process. We shall pay particular attention to the type of sign called ‘index,’ which plays a pivotal role in this affair.

A quelles conditions peut-on parler de négation dans l’image?

What is negation? I mean: what is a negation in general? The question needs to be analyzed to apply with pertinence the concept to the image since the negation by the image has not received a stable and shared definition. What does this concept mean? Under what conditions can it be used to process visual semiotics guarding against confusion? This first issue is backed by another: the negation appears to be related to predication, to the point that some believe that the second is condition of the first. Therefore, we must also ask whether the image can predicate.