French Literature Reviews - 2026

Thierry Briault, L'Absolu pictural, plastique pure et sens commun
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

This book offers a collection of debates and analyses focusing on pure plastics—an artistic concept—while exploring potential points of agreement or contradiction throughout the history of philosophy. The author engages in a dialogue with Alain Badiou, Jacques Rancière, and René Schérer, each presenting their own perspective on the plastic arts. Phenomenological approaches by Heidegger and Heideggerian scholars are also examined, alongside that of Sartre, while analytical philosophy is brought into the discussion as well. Furthermore, the volume revisits the theory of disegno and draws upon historical and contemporary theories derived from artists' writings to outline a persistent critical and formal framework.

What emerges across these diverse discourses is designated by the term 'plastophany'—a plastic truth that arises within or through conceptual enunciation, which the author carefully gathers and highlights. The concrete rules of plastics are formulated independently of specific styles, technical procedures, or historical differences, functioning instead as principles applicable to a broad spectrum of works. Kant's philosophy of pure judgments of taste and free beauty, as interpreted by Derrida, as well as Deleuze's reading of Kantian common-sense aesthetics, are thus pushed in an even more radical direction.

This undertaking is not without certain reservations regarding the literary approach to art, remaining faithful to Cézanne's injunction not to 'fall into literature' when painting. The autonomy of the artistic process in this pure painting paves the way for a political reflection that notably draws upon the Frankfurt School and its specific critiques of neo-Dadaism.

The volume positions itself within the long-standing philosophical inquiry into the nature of the visual arts, bringing together disparate intellectual traditions such as phenomenology, analytical philosophy, and the Frankfurt School's critical theory. The study also engages with historical debates surrounding the theory of disegno and the writings of various artists.

Readers interested in the intersections of modern philosophy, aesthetic theory, and the visual arts may find this volume relevant. The text addresses complex notions of common-sense aesthetics, pure judgments of taste, and the political dimensions of artistic autonomy without relying on conventional literary interpretations of painting.