Une augmentation consubstantielle à l’œuvre

Abstract

This article proposes a different perspective from the one usually adopted in the field of image augmentation applied to ancient art: rather than considering augmentation as an increase in information (according to the change of scale inherent in Big Data) or conceiving it in its immersive dimension (inviting us to dive into the image thanks to very high resolution digital reproductions and VR technologies), we propose to start from the principle that many images or works of art of the past are the result of augmented experiences, on the side of creation thus, but also on the side of reception. The aim is to show to what extent digital devices can or cannot contribute to a better understanding of these augmented experiences of the past, by placing the works of art within vast networks of other works, as well as within the physical and mental space with which they were intimately linked, not to mention their links with sensory stimuli other than the sole sense of sight. Starting with a case study, that of Caravaggio’s Madonna of the Pilgrims, the aim is more specifically to question the capacity of Digital Art History to enrich the idea of symbolic form, as a meeting point between meaning and form, intelligible and sensible, or more precisely between the semantic, kinetic and aesthetic dimensions; but also the idea of figurability, which refers to the work of meaning that goes through the work of forms and forces, namely the dynamics of virtualisation, indeterminacy, and inchoativity. The aim is to reflect on the way in which the model of “modelling interpretation” proposed by J. Drucker, who sees computer modelling as the very hermeneutic act, makes it possible to rely on the symbolic forms specific to digital devices in order to account for the intrinsic augmentation in the artworks.

Keywords

• augmentation
• modeling interpretation
• symbolic form
• figurability
• Caravaggio