The Atlas of Two Women: A Methodological Exploration for Seeing and Interpreting the Symptomatic Visual Motif

Sammanfattning: This thesis explores the under-recognised yet symptomatic visual motif of two women, a recurring theme within a vast array of pictorial examples. Its primary objective is to construct a theoretical and methodological framework capable of comprehending the multiplicity of images in the form of an image collection: The Atlas of Two Women. This inquiry primarily draws on Walter Benjamin’s concept of the constellation and Aby Warburg’s unfinished project, Mnemosyne Atlas. These perspectives on cultural history are perceived as heuristic tools that enable a departure from the traditional linear progression of history, aiming to unveil the redemptive potential inherent in the aesthetic experience, emphasised by its significance for feminist critique and the reevaluation of female subjectivity. In contrast to the conventional narratives of art history and visual culture, which often remain trapped in a phallocentric reception of the female body and unchallenged preconceptions regarding the male gaze, this approach attempts to pursue an alternative trajectory. It does so by embracing the subjective perspective of the viewer as a vital facet of the analysis. As an essential methodological step in exploring the reciprocal interplay between the viewer and the atlas, Wolfgang Kemp’s methodology of the aesthetics of reception is employed, recognising the inherent function of beholding embedded into the fabric of visual communication. By enhancing the discussion with critical modes of thought related to issues of femininity, particularly through Luce Irigaray’s theory of sexual difference, this thesis argues that the motif of two women, as a symbolically complex mental image, not only challenges the conventional binary reception of pictorial phenomena but also alludes to the broader context of the oppression of the feminine within the Symbolic order.