Seeing-as, Seeing-in, Seeing-with: Looking through Images

Abstract

In the constitution of contemporary image theory, Ludwig Wittgenstein’s philosophy has become a key reference. This paper would like to critically assess some of the advantages as well as some of the quandaries in using Wittgenstein’s concept of “seeing-as” for addressing the plural realities of images. Three modalities of iconic vision will subsequently be analyzed in the paper: the propositional seeing-as, the projective seeing-in and the medial seeing-with.