Paolozzi and Wittgenstein The Artist and the Philosopher

This impressive edited collection investigates the relationship between British Pop Art pioneer Eduardo Paolozzi and the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. At this time, when Paolozzi’s oeuvre is in the process of being rediscovered, his long-time fascination with Wittgenstein requires thorough exploration, as it discloses a deeper understanding of his artistic production, further helping to reassess the philosopher’s actual impact on visual arts and its theory in the second half of the 20th century.

With 13 diverse and comprehensive chapters, bringing together philosophers and art historians, this volume aims at retracing and pondering the influence of Wittgenstein on the idea of art in Paolozzi, thus giving an unprecedented insight into Wittgenstein’s philosophy as employed by contemporary artists.

1. An Introduction to the Artist who ‘needed’ Wittgenstein

Diego Mantoan and Luigi Perissinotto

Part I. Aesthetic Grammar: from Wittgenstein to Paolozzi

2. Aesthetic Family Resemblances between Wittgenstein and Paolozzi

Silvana Borutti

3. The philosopher as artist: Ludwig Wittgenstein seen through Eduardo Paolozzi

Wolfgang Huemer

4. Paolozzi and the Diverse Manners of Ornamenting Wittgenstein in the Arts

Alessandro Del Puppo

5. Assembled pieces: collage techniques in the work of Eduardo Paolozzi and Ludwig Wittgenstein

Part II. Paolozzi: on Reading Wittgenstein

6. Paolozzi reads Wittgenstein: Moments in a Research Process

Luigi Perissinotto

7. “Ragged” Perception in Eduardo Paolozzi’s Figures from the 1950s

Rachel Stratton

8. Poetic Metaphor: Paolozzi’s Animated Films and Their Relation to Wittgenstein

9. Assembling reminders for a particular purpose: Paolozzi’s ephemera, toys and collectibles

Diego Mantoan

Part III. Wittgenstein: on Influencing Art

Michael Lüthy

11. On a Certain Vagueness in the Definition of Art: Margolis’ Aesthetics and Wittgenstein’s Legacy

Roberta Dreon

12. The Sides of Limit and the Possibilities for Artistic Creation: On the Influence of Wittgenstein’s Philosophy on Contemporary Art

Davide Dal Sasso

13. Wittgenstein in New York (and elsewhere): From Paolozzi to Bochner in the 1960s

Francesco Guzzetti

Appendix: The quotes in Paolozzi’s screenprint series As Is When (1964–65)

Wolfgang Huemer and Diego Mantoan

Diego Mantoan, Assistant Professor in Contemporary Art History at Ca’ Foscari University Venice (Italy), works for renowned art archives across Europe and his earlier book “The Road To Parnassus” (2015) entered the 2016 Berger Prize long-list of The British Art Journal.

Luigi Perissinotto, Professor of Philosophy of Language and former Head of the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage at Ca’ Foscari University Venice (Italy), is a renowned scholar of philosophy of language and a specialist in Wittgenstein.