A background created from nothing: The issue of nihilism in Witkacy’s works

As Witkacy wrote in Narcotics, it is “the surrounding nothingness which creates a negative background for all being” that makes things visible. Nihilism provides a framework for Witkacy’s work. His philosophy and esthetics are a response to the nihilistic lack of meaning and the absolute, while his...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wojciech Sztaba
Format: Article
Language:Polish
Published: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu 2014-01-01
Series:Przestrzenie Teorii
Subjects:
Online Access:http://pressto.amu.edu.pl/index.php/pt/article/view/3318
Description
Summary:As Witkacy wrote in Narcotics, it is “the surrounding nothingness which creates a negative background for all being” that makes things visible. Nihilism provides a framework for Witkacy’s work. His philosophy and esthetics are a response to the nihilistic lack of meaning and the absolute, while his cultural pessimism is a projection of the lost paradise. The romantic attitude that he had developed by reading Schopenhauer and Nietzsche left deep traces in his art, thus generating the iconography of his paintings and permeating his dramas and novels.
ISSN:1644-6763
2450-5765