Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)
Attending to Absence
Publication Date
2024
College
Watkins College of Art
Department
Art, Department of
BURS Faculty Advisor
Mandy Rogers-Horton
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
French phenomenologist, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, argues that what we see is always intertwined with the unseen “invisible lining.” Lighting, reflection, depth, and color aren’t objects, but they shape our visual experience. Through his ideas on perception, Merleau-Ponty describes painting as a record of the artists’ visual attention to this invisible lining. This aligns with memoirist Mark Doty’s concept of the “intimacy of attention,” where still life paintings and poems suspend the attention of the artist in the work. Doty sees this in everyday objects too - cracks in a vase or scratched wood become silent markers of past use. These visual traces, absences that hint a prior presence, quietly surround us. My research explores how attending to visual absences can activate previous presence.
Recommended Citation
Nichols, Zoe V., "Attending to Absence" (2024). Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS). 460.
https://repository.belmont.edu/burs/460
