Spiritual Art and Hybridity: Mixed Discourse in the History of Art

Résumé

The article proposes a methodological experiment in writing art history, namely the incorporation of the study of mixed discourse into the area of art history.  The term mixed discourse was defined by Ricoeur in his analysis of Freud’s writings. It refers to a mixed discourse of everyday and scientific language that is manifested in verbal and visual productions.  A mix of epistemological modes is represented in products of mixed discourse that disturbs consumers. In the art history of the fin-de-siècle, the popular register of mixed discourse is usually overlooked. The article surveys what happens if this blind spot becomes the subject of scrutiny.