Arte e linguaggio. Il problema dell’esperienza estetica visiva

The first thesis of this paper is that human art presupposes language, and language implies the development of art. In particular, the mutual relationship between art and language means that what is ‘usually’ called “art” (in non-technical terms), would be impossible without language. From an institutional and cognitive point of view, art and language are deeply interconnected. In order to demonstrate such a link between art and language, a critical review of non-human animals capacity to see images as images will be developed. The main point of such a critique is that without language and symbolic thought one of the most important cognitive prerequisites for art – that is, the capacity to see something as an image – is lacking. However, the second thesis of this paper is that what will be defined as a (visual) “aesthetics experience” is only possible when language is somewhat ‘put aside’, that is, when one is able to perceive something without the mediation of language. In favor of such a thesis it will be used the Wittgenstein analysis of the “aspect change” phenomenon. Therefore, aesthetic experience properly does not make part of art.