Metaphor in pictures

Lecture by John Kulvicki (2017-2018 Paris IAS fellow) within the framework of the seminar "Aesthetics and Cognitive Science (ÆCS)" at the Institut Jean Nicod

Abstract

Are there pictorial metaphors, and if so how should we understand them ? There is relatively little literature on metaphor in pictures, even though there is an extensive literature on metaphor. Josef Stern defends an interesting pair of theses. First, he is one of the few advocates of a semantic account of metaphor. Second, he insists that there are no distinctively pictorial metaphors. The negative claim is based on how he understands the ways in which pictures can be meaningful. I want to show how, if you have a different account of pictorial meaning, his account of metaphor applies in interesting ways to pictures. This is part of a larger project meant to bring topics in the philosophy of language into contact with issues related to pictorial representation.

More information (Institut Jean Nicod's website)