Michel Onfray's 'Il coccodrillo di Aristotele' uses paintings to narrate philosophy
French philosopher Michel Onfray has published 'Il coccodrillo di Aristotele' with Ponte alle Grazie, a history of philosophy illustrated through thirty paintings. Onfray selects a detail from each artwork—an 'analogon' in phenomenological terms—that encapsulates the thinker's system, akin to a pictorial metonymy. Examples include Socrates' cup in Jacques-Louis David's 1787 painting, Aristotle's crocodile in Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne's work, and Nietzsche's parapet in Edvard Munch's portrait. The book covers Socrates' trial and death, Aristotle's empirical method enabled by Alexander the Great, and Nietzsche's descent into madness as depicted by Munch. The volume is 240 pages, priced €22, ISBN 9788833315003.
Key facts
- Michel Onfray published 'Il coccodrillo di Aristotele' with Ponte alle Grazie in 2020.
- The book uses thirty paintings to illustrate philosophical concepts.
- Onfray employs the term 'analogon' from Husserl and Sartre's phenomenology.
- Jacques-Louis David's 'The Death of Socrates' (1787) features the cup of hemlock.
- Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne's painting shows Alexander the Great presenting a crocodile to Aristotle.
- Edvard Munch's portrait of Nietzsche uses a parapet as the analogon.
- The book costs €22 and has 240 pages.
- ISBN is 9788833315003.
Entities
Artists
- Michel Onfray
- Jacques-Louis David
- Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne
- Edvard Munch
- Valerio Adami
- Fausto Politino
Institutions
- Ponte alle Grazie
- Artribune
Locations
- Milano
- Italy