In this blog post, based on Sartre’s theory of images, we explore why images in the imaginary world are perceived more clearly than reality.
What are images? Modern philosophers believed that images are based on the senses, just as we perceive objects in the real world through our senses to construct the real world. Here, the real world refers to the world that already exists objectively before being perceived by humans, and the actual world refers to the world as perceived by human senses. However, images are based on the senses, but they are merely imperfect representations of objects. Therefore, they were considered to be a subcategory of perception and relatively inferior to the actual world.
However, Sartre presented the imaginary world through his “image theory” and revealed his opposition to this view. Sartre asserts that “the real world and the imaginary world cannot coexist in essence,” explaining that these two worlds are perceived differently depending on the difference in the methods of perception, namely perception and imagination. This means that the two worlds do not exist, but rather that the real world is perceived through perception and imagined through images. Ultimately, Sartre argues that the real world is divided into the real world and the imaginary world according to the orientation of our consciousness, and that the two cannot be perceived simultaneously. Therefore, Sartre defined images, which had previously been considered to belong to the real world and to be inferior copies, as mental consciousness that is completely independent from the real world and exists in the imaginary world.
Thus, images that are independent from the real world, as defined by Sartre, have the characteristic of becoming complete wholes from the moment they are perceived. The real world perceived by our senses changes as its detailed characteristics are grasped, but images do not change because they are composed only of what we know or what we intend them to be. For example, when the color of the light shining on an object changes, the color perceived in the real world changes accordingly, but the image always has the same color in the imaginary world, even if the color of the light changes. In addition, images have the characteristic of being disconnected from the attributes of the real world that are perceived by the senses and appearing only in the imaginary world.
When we think about a friend who left for a foreign country last year, we look at the empty room where he used to live, and the real world of his absence disappears, leaving only the image of our friend in our imagination. From Sartre’s perspective, art must be perceived in an independent imaginary world, not in the real world, which is constantly changing.
In the case of classical sculpture, for example, artists strive to perfectly express what they perceive, but because objects perceived in the real world are constantly changing, it is inevitably difficult to reproduce them based on perception. However, by imagining sculptures in the imaginary world, it is possible to compose works that remain unchanged as intended. Only then can the artist convey the image he or she intended to express. Therefore, Sartre believed that art should be approached as an independent imaginary world, rather than the changing real world.
Sartre’s perspective is significant in reestablishing the role of images in the creative process. Art as the creation of an imaginary world, rather than the reproduction of the real world, emphasizes the subjective experience and imagination of the artist. For example, abstract art and surrealist works do not directly imitate the real world, but they can convey new meanings and emotions to the audience by expressing the artist’s inner world and imagination. These works of art are born from the imaginary world and convey a consistent message to the audience through unchanging images.
Furthermore, Sartre’s theory of images has significant implications for the development of various contemporary media and digital art. Digital art enables new forms of artistic expression that transcend the physical limitations of the real world. Images created through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies exist in the imaginary world, allowing viewers to experience new sensations and sensations. According to Sartre’s theory, these digital images exist independently of the real world and function as part of an unchanging imaginary world.
In conclusion, Sartre’s theory of images shows that images are not inferior copies of the real world, but play an important role as components of an independent imaginary world. This presents a new perspective on artistic creation and appreciation, and has had a profound influence on the development of contemporary art and media. From Sartre’s perspective, images are the complete whole of an unchanging imaginary world, and through the creativity of the artist and the imagination of the audience, they can convey richer and more colorful meanings.
