"Image Language Figure”. On the aesthetic-philosophical thought of Emilio Garroni
"Image Language Figure” On the aesthetic-philosophical thought of Emilio Garroni
Deadline: September 15, 2026
SPECIAL ISSUE EDITORS: Prof. Stefano Velotti (Sapienza University of Rome), Dr. Andrea D’Ammando (Sapienza University of Rome).
Title: "Image Language Figure” On the aesthetic-philosophical thought of Emilio Garroni"
Twenty years after his death, the thought of Emilio Garroni (1925-2005) continues to represent an essential point of reference within the Italian field of aesthetic studies. In addition to the recent republication of some of his key texts (La crisi semantica delle arti, Ricognizione della semiotica), this is also confirmed by the study days and important, well-attended conferences that, on the occasion of the centenary of his birth, allowed established scholars and young researchers to return to engage with the legacy of his thought. In the wake of this renewed interest, “Aisthesis” dedicates the main focus of issue no. 2/2026 to Garroni's aesthetic-philosophical thought, with particular reference to the main lines of research outlined in his latest book, Immagine Linguaggio Figura, which is also set to be republished – in a new and unreleased English translation – in the coming months. As is well known, Immagine Linguaggio Figura is a unique text, written without notes or explicit references to other authors. Behind the guise of a seemingly “non-technical” reflection, however, lies what is perhaps the most elaborate and productive synthesis of some of the most significant philosophical issues addressed by Garroni in forty years of study and research. The central problem investigated in the text concerns the relationship between the two dimensions – related but irreducible – of sensibility and understanding, that is, between the sphere of perception (an “interpretative” perception, linked to the imagination) and that of language and concepts, analyzed on the basis of a rethinking and reworking of some themes already dealt with thirty years earlier in Ricognizione della semiotica (meta-operativity, for example) and the development of the notion of the “power of image” (used to describe our perceptive activity and its plastic, creative and essentially indeterminate character).
The editors welcome contributions that address the most important notions and conceptual cores of Garroni's book, with particular attention to those that verify its richness and validity in relation to contemporary perspectives and lines of research. Among these, some of the themes that can be analysed are:
- the status of the “internal image”, with particular reference to the notion of “aggregate”, the theme of non-conceptual contents of perception and its relationship with “pictures”;
- the perspective of enactivism and the mind-body relationship;
- the notion of meta-operativity in relation to the question of creativity and language;
- reflection on the arts and the notions of “style” and “form”;
- Garroni's theoretical legacy and Italian aesthetics of the second half of the 20th century.
SUBMISSIONS MUST CONFORM TO THE INSTRUCTIONS SET OUT BELOW. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.
All editorial matters (not submitted articles!) should be addressed to:
Fabrizio Desideri (Editor): fabrizio.desideri@unifi.it
Marina Montanelli (Editorial Secretariat): marina.montanelli@unifi.it
Articles should be submitted using the online submission system. They should be in .doc or .docx format, A4, paginated, double spaced throughout (i.e. including references and quotations), with ample margins. They should be formatted for blind review, not normally exceed 7,500 words and should include an abstract of no more than 150 words and five keywords (in English).
Tables and illustrations should be submitted to the online submission system in separate files to the main manuscript. Please be aware that you may have to secure figure permissions upon acceptance.
