Metaphor, which allows us to talk about things by comparing them to other things, is one of the most ubiquitous and adaptable features of language and thought. It allows us to clarify meaning, yet also evaluate and transform the ways we think, create and act.
While we are alert to metaphor in spoken or written texts, it has, within the visual arts, been critically overlooked. Taking into consideration how metaphors are inventively embodied in the formal, technical, and stylistic aspects of visual artworks, Mark Staff Brandl shows how extensively artists rely on creative metaphor within their work. Exploring the work of a broad variety of artists – including Dawoud Bey, Dan Ramirez, Gaëlle Villedary, Raoul Deal, Sonya Clark, Titus Kaphar, Charles Boetschi, and more– he argues that metaphors are the foundation of visual thought, are chiefly determined by bodily and environmental experiences, and are embodied in artistic form. Visual artistic creation is philosophical thought. By grounding these arguments in the work of philosophers and cultural theorists, including Noël Carroll, Hans Georg Gadamer, and George Lakoff, Brandl shows how important metaphor is to understanding contemporary art.
A Philosophy of Visual Metaphor in Contemporary Art takes a neglected feature of the visual arts and shows us what a vital role it plays within them. Bridging theory and practice, and drawing upon a capacious array of examples, this book is essential reading for art historians and practitioners, as well as analytic philosophers working in aesthetics and meaning.

- 241 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
A Philosophy of Visual Metaphor in Contemporary Art
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Halftitle page
- Series page
- Title page
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures and Table
- Acknowledgments
- Notes on Typographic Style
- Introduction
- 1 What is Metaphor?
- 2 What is Visual Metaphor?
- 3 Why Visual Metaphors Matter
- 4 The Grammar of Visual Metaphor
- 5 Metaphor(m): A Theory of Central Visual Trope
- 6 Conceiving Visual Metaphors
- 7 Visual Metaphor in Criticism: Two Contemporary Painters’ Works
- 8 Art History Timelines are Visual Metaphors
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
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Yes, you can access A Philosophy of Visual Metaphor in Contemporary Art by Mark Staff Brandl in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophie & Kunsttheorie & -kritik. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.