Arte e Ausência: O Papel do Objecto na Obra de Andy Goldsworthy

Abstract

In this essay, the work of the British artist Andy Goldsworthy provides a starting point for an analysis of the role played by the object in regard to the work of art. Confronting both his sculptural production and his photographic estate with theoretical writings on the nature of the work of art, as well as the work of other artists, I argue that the physical presence of an object is not a sine qua non condition to the existence and appreciation of a work of art. Analysing the way in which an audience is presented with Goldsworthy’s work (whether in a gallery, museum, book, video, or internet), I aim at drawing a clear distinction between concepts such as ?work of art and ?artistic object, upholding the claim that the experience of the work of art is mental and possible through a reproduction.