On Perceiving Paintings and Sculpture

The author states that descriptions of the perception of figurative paintings and sculptures traditionally have been confused by the intrusion of interpretive explanations. Phenomenological description—that is, description as determined as much as possible by the phenomena (paintings and sculptures) rather than by theoretical considerations—indicates that sculptures are perceived in significantly different ways from paintings. He finds that failure to be clear about these differences not only confuses an understanding of these two art forms but, in turn, tends to confuse the perception of them. If painting is classified as a visual art, then sculpture is a visual-tactual art. If painting is classified as a ‘static’ art, then sculpture is a ‘dynamic’ art. Painting arrests the spectacle of the world, for painting is primarily about the patina of things, the surfaces of shapes that have already emerged. Figurative sculpture is more about things as they are emerging.