Ca' Foscari University of Venice and Querini Stampalia Foundation,
Venice, November 23 - 25, 2016
Deadline: Sep 30, 2016

SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
The artist and the philosopher: Eduardo Paolozzi and Ludwig Wittgenstein
Venice, 23-25 November 2016 (Querini Stampalia Foundation)

Organisers:
Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy
University of Udine, Italy

Deadline:
Submission of Speech Proposal - 30 September 2016

THE MEETING OF AN ARTIST AND A PHILOSOPHER.
The conference is set to investigate the encounter between one of the
most renowned philosophers of the previous century, Ludwig
Wittgenstein, and one of the major British visual artists of the second
half of the 20th century, as well as a pop art initiator, Eduardo
Paolozzi. Aim of this conference is particularly to discover, retrace
and critically ponder the influence of Wittgenstein’s philosophy on the
idea of art in Polozzi, but mostly in his artistic production.
Indeed, the encounter with Wittgenstein - specifically with his
Tractatus logico-philosophicus, as well as with the writings of his
friend and disciple Norman Malcolm (A Memoir) - originated a series of
12 screenprints in 1965 titled As is When. Even later works bare the
marks of direct reference to Wittgenstein, to episodes of his biography
or further to various themes of his thought: so for instance the

sculpture Wittgenstein at Cassino (1963) or the collages and
screenprints of the mid 1990s that were subsumed under the title A
logical picture of facts is a thought (3) Tractatus '21-'22. As
observed by Judith Collins, what brought Paolozzi and Wittgenstein
together was their mutual interest in syntax.

THE INFLUENCE OF A PHILOSOPHER ON AN ARTIST.
The guiding star of the conference is the influence of Wittgenstein on
the considered British artist, though investigated from a broader
perspective than previously done. In fact, the aim is to go beyond the
mere works by Paolozzi with an explicitly "wittgensteinian" title,
since the hypothesis is that the artist remained fascinated also by the
Philosophical Investigations. Compared to the state of the art, this
conference focuses on the entire oeuvre of Paolozzi, hence deepening
the critical search on one of last century’s most intriguing, though
less analysed artists.

AN ARTIST AS AN INTERPRETER OF A PHILOSOPHY.
The conference wants to become a privileged occasion to reflect on the
possible influence of a philosopher on an artist, as well as on the
interpretation that an artist may provide as regards a philosophical
thought. Therefore, the intention is to clarify the way, in which a
philosophy - for this purpose the one of Wittgenstein - could find a
proper interpretation or fulfilment not just in further theoretical
writings, but also in artworks. In this perspective Paolozzi as an
artist is to be considered a true interpreter of Wittgenstein.
Eventually, the conference is set to disclose an unprecedented
perspective - that of an artist that makes an artwork out of it - which
could help to deepen the knowledge on Wittgenstein's philosophy,

particularly his considerations on form, image and rules.

PROPOSALS AND THEMES OF THE CONFERENCE.
If you are interested in submitting a speech proposal, please write an
abstract in Italian or English of no more than 3000 characters (spaces
included) together with the provisional title and a short biographical
note or CV (max 2 pages).
Since a peer reviewed volume is planned in the aftermath, some
proposals might be considered for publication, even if they have not
been chosen for the conference. The presence of young academics is
particularly welcome, thus 8 places are reserved for PhD students.
The organisers will favour proposals that should engage explicitly with
the relationship between Wittgenstein and Paolozzi, although further
ones will be considered that refer to Paolozzi, his artistic production
and education, or to Wittgenstein and his influence on visual arts.
All materials should be sent by September 30, 2016 via email to the
organisers at diego.mantoan@unive.it with subject matter "Conference
Paolozzi & Wittgenstein". Selected speakers will be provided with
accommodation in Venice over the conference days, as well as their
travel expenses to and from Venice covered (economy or second class
only).

For further details please contact the organisers at
diego.mantoan@unive.it.