By Way of Introduction: Inscriptions as Subversion

Abstract

This introductory paper defines the scope of the research concerning "inscriptions in painting" from a primarily semiotic point of view. Taking as its point of departure the antinomy between the written word and painting or drawing, it shows that in many cases (from medieval pictograms through the baroque painter Phillipe de Champaigne to modern new concreteness and Max Beckmann) inscriptions are used to subvert the pictoral content of works of art. Sometimes, inscriptions also subvert theological interdictions to taboos. Inscriptions can also be said to represent the "performative" aspect of the work of art in the literal meaning of this word; that is they are used to direct the gaze of the observer to specific spots within the painting and are part of a manipulative strategy of the painter.