Social criticism in David by Miguel Ángel Rojas. An approach based on recognition theory

Abstract

This article corroborates Theodor Adorno’s thesis, according to which art can be an interpreter of repressed suffering. Based on an interpretive analysis of the work David, by the artist Miguel Ángel Rojas, the possibilities of art as social criticism are shown, capable of showing the repressed suffering produced by forms of contempt and non-recognition of victims of the Colombian armed conflict, at the same time than the claims and desire for peace and justice of Colombian society, which turns the work of art into an instance of reflection, analysis and discussion about criteria for satisfactory forms of social life. The notions of social criticism and social art are based on the postulates of the Critical Theory of society, especially, on Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition.