Abstract
This article explores our understanding of visual imagery through an analysis of Foucault’s examination of Magritte’s famous painting Les deux Mystères. Foucault details how the interplay between word and image are firstly perceived and then understood by the viewer. This analysis of Foucault’s text, serves to illuminate and hopefully clarify the often ambiguous relationship between image and text, whilst at the same time demonstrate that the vary same ambiguity is revelled in by those creating and those words and images.
Highlights
Using Magritte’s painting Les deux Mystères and Michel Foucault’s accompanying text, This is not a Pipe, the nature of the visual image can be examined
It can be demonstrated that the distance created by critical theory, between the object and the image and resemblance is replaced by similitude in a world where “truth” is a concept beyond the reach of human visual representation
This point is illustrated by Levy (1990) with reference to Magritte’s twined image of Paul Nougé, which being a portrait originated as a resemblance, being derived from the original model
Summary
Using Magritte’s painting Les deux Mystères and Michel Foucault’s accompanying text, This is not a Pipe, the nature of the visual image can be examined. It can be demonstrated that the distance created by critical theory, between the object and the image and resemblance is replaced by similitude in a world where “truth” is a concept beyond the reach of human visual representation. Both Foucault and Magritte recognise that resemblance and similitude are different entities
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