Buch | Kapitel
Representative matters
a critique of Sartre's phenomenology of physical images
pp. 335-352
Abstrakt
This chapter proposes a critical reading of Sartre's phenomenology of physical images and provides some points of comparison with Husserl's position. The first necessary step is to distill Sartre's view on physical images from his overarching theory of imagination. The physical images considered here are paintings and photographs (i.e., ordinary physical images), schematic drawings (e.g., stick figures and silhouettes), and images by chance (e.g., faces in clouds). For Sartre, the further we move away from ordinary physical images, which appear at a glance, the more the bodily movements of the beholder actively contribute to the constitution of the image. On this basis, Sartre's theory can accommodate the diversity of pictorial phenomena. However, this view raises some concerns and risks overemphasizing the role of the beholder. Husserl's theory of physical imaging posits that all pictorial phenomena have the same structure: their differences do not stem from their constitutive processes. He puts forward a distinction between the extensity and intensity of depiction that can be used to track their diversity. The final section suggests that Sartre's position aggravates a critical issue in Husserl's theory–the idea that image consciousness depends on an apprehension that bestows meaning on the available sensuous contents–and hints at the direction for novel research into the phenomenology of the pictorial.
Publication details
Published in:
Brough John, Mion Regina-Nino, Rozzoni Claudio (2025) Husserl on depiction. London, Taylor & Francis.
Seiten: 335-352
Referenz:
Fantelli Federico (2025) „Representative matters: a critique of Sartre's phenomenology of physical images“, In: J. Brough, R.-N. Mion & C. Rozzoni (eds.), Husserl on depiction, London, Taylor & Francis, 335–352.

