Words and images. An attempt at consilience on the example of Witkacy’s works

Abstract

The article discusses Paweł Polit’s book on the philosophy and painterly oeuvre of S. I. Witkiewicz that relates both areas of Witkiewicz’s work based on his idea of “unity of personality.” Exploring Witkacy’s theory, also contained in his literary works, Polit confronts it with the philosophical sources of his thought, as well as with Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology and Deleuze’s and Derrida’s reflections on painting that bring to the fore its corporeal, haptic dimension. The idea of the “unity of personality” is, according to Polit, a keystone of Witkacy’s thought, giving coherence to his aesthetic reflection, despite of its changes. Subjected to an appropriate interpretation, i.e. connected with the theory of the unconscious background of experiences, inseparable from the psychophysical identity of an individual, the idea of “unity of personality” becomes also the interpretative key to Witkacy’s painting. The author draws attention to the originality of Polit’s approach to Witkiewicz which situates itself within a broader contemporary discussion on the relationships between art and philosophy, painting and writing. She juxtaposes Witkacy’s case discussed by Polit with other examples of artists in whose oeuvre writing and visual work illuminate each other and intertwine.