Duchamp with Lacan through Žižek (original) (raw)

2018

Abstract

In order to determine why Courbet was cited as an influence for Etant donnes, the author radically reinterprets Duchamp’s statements on the subject. This leads to a complete reassessment of the supposed anti-retinal/conceptual interpretation of Duchamp’s oeuvre. To pursue this line of enquiry Duchamp’s perplexing decision to quote the poet T.S. Eliot is fully explored. It is argued that Eliot provides a precise description of the phenomenon addressed in the previous chapters: the art historical response to the dilemma presented by Fountain. The conclusion drawn is that Duchamp used Eliot to highlight the paradoxical logic of his work’s reception and, in turn, the mechanism underpinning this reception. This justifies the use of a Lacanian-Žižekian model as the strongest interpretative tool available to art historians.

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