The Pensive Image: Art as a Form of Thinking

Grootenboer considers painting as a form of thinking in itself, rather than a subject of philosophical and interpretive thought.

While the philosophical dimension of painting has long been discussed, a clear case for painting as a form of visual thinking has yet to be made. Traditionally, vanitas still life paintings are considered to raise ontological issues while landscapes direct the mind toward introspection. Grootenboer moves beyond these considerations to focus on what remains unspok...