The Karl Jaspers Society of North America invites proposals for papers that compare Jaspers and Heidegger with respect to their analyses of Vincent van Gogh. Special priority will be given to proposals pertaining to the “world” of the artist or his work. For instance, papers may address any of the following questions, or questions within the same topical range: How do Jaspers and Heidegger take van Gogh to illustrate what it means to belong to a world? What is the significance of Jaspers focusing more on the artist’s world and Heidegger focusing more on the world of the artwork itself? What might the world of van Gogh’s work tell us about transcendence? How do Jaspers and Heidegger take van Gogh to illustrate the transformative power of art for the world that encompasses us? How might the different perspectives of these philosophers, or the life and work of van Gogh himself, inform the future of art interpretation, especially with respect to world? We also welcome treatments of other philosophers who have written about van Gogh: Bataille, Derrida, etc.
Selected papers will be presented at one of two APA panel meetings: the Central Division meeting (February 26-March 1, 2014) or the Pacific Division meeting (San Diego: April 14-19, 2014). Papers will also be considered for publication in Existenz.
Send a one-page proposal (200 words) to the program chair listed below by May 31, 2013. Earlier submissions are appreciated.
David Nichols, dpnichol@svsu.edu