Discourse/Figure

work by Lyotard

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July 17, 2026

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In his work Discourse/Figure (1971), Jean-François Lyotard, a key figure in postmodernism, explored the distinction between linguistic meaning and the meaning found in visual arts like painting and sculpture. He argued that the symbolic and pictorial richness of art often transcends the grasp of rational, discursive thought. Lyotard posited that desire, a concept explored further in Libidinal Economy (1974), exists in a state of tension with the generalizing nature of rational thought, always escaping its complete comprehension.1

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Jean-François Lyotard
…his first major philosophical work, Discourse/Figure (1971), Lyotard distinguished between the meaningfulness of linguistic signs and the meaningfulness of plastic arts such as painting and sculpture. He argued that, because rational thought or judgment is discursive and works of art are inherently symbolic, certain aspects of artistic meaning—such as the…
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…his first major philosophical work, Discourse/Figure (1971), Lyotard distinguished between the meaningfulness of linguistic signs and the meaningfulness of plastic arts such as painting and sculpture. He argued that, because rational thought or judgment is discursive and works of art are inherently symbolic, certain aspects of artistic meaning—such as the…
Read More