Document Type : Original Research Paper
Authors
1
Assistant Professor of Art, Faculty of Art & Media, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran
2
MA in Art Research, Faculty of Art & Media, Payam-e Noor University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
In 1966, Derrida's groundbreaking essay "Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences" introduced a paradigm that has since opened countless avenues for researchers. By deconstructing existing structures and reconstructing their components, this approach has ushered in new horizons for the creation of meaning. A comparative analysis within this research reveals that 37 years before Derrida, with his "Derridean Deconstruction," drew philosophical attention to this contentious concept, René Magritte, with his painting "The Treachery of Images," had quietly painted his own "Magrittean Deconstruction Manifesto" on the canvas of modern art. This painting is considered "one of the first horizons of post-structuralism." Although Derrida praised this painting, he never acknowledged the inspiration it provided in shaping and grounding his theory. This foundational, qualitative, library-based research aims to conduct a comparative study of Magritte's "The Treachery of Images" and Derrida's theory of "deconstruction" to unveil the hidden correspondence between the painting and the theory. By introducing and comprehensively explaining the key theoretical components of deconstruction, including logocentrism, binary oppositions, grammatology, différance, parergon, aporia, and dissemination, and by mapping them onto the painting, this article concludes that Derrida seems to have adopted these concepts from the painting as a model to approach, visualize, and interpret his theory. Ultimately, this painting alone is sufficient, explicit, and comprehensive to visualize and manifest the components of deconstruction.
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