Brain Pain discussion

This topic covers the Introduction, p. 1 - 17

The introduction is in the same style, both dense and evocative, Bachelard used in his former books on the imagination matérielle, La psychanalyse du feu and L'Eau et les Rêves.

This section includes some reminders on the author’s overall approach on the topics of imagination, dreams, poetry, and preliminary thoughts on the particular subject of Air. A short summary of the upcoming chapters can be found at the end of this introduction.

All in all, a rather abstract, didactic and not a very catchy piece of text. Let’s see how this unfolds later on...

I'm temporarily trapped in the introduction... his comments about real images and imaginary images have been rolling around in my brain for days. With my painting students, I constantly have to point out the difference between what they are painting from observation versus what they are painting from their imagination... related to Bachelard's ideas, but I'm not exactly sure how... maybe a few more days of contemplation...

I'm not sure if this answers your comment, but there's a lovely phrase later on in chapter II (p. 98 of the old José Corti edition): "Imaginer, c'est donc hausser le réel d'un ton" (which would translate something like: "To imagine is raise the real's voice"). There's a nugget of truth in this.

Leonard wrote: "I'm not sure if this answers your comment, but there's a lovely phrase later on in chapter II (p. 98 of the old José Corti edition): "Imaginer, c'est donc hausser le réel d'un ton" (which would tra..."

It's a complicated topic, to say the least. It's a challenge to unravel these ideas, which he freely spreads over psychoanalysis, imagination, language, poetry, dreams, actual images, etc.... In my teaching, I talk not only about representing real world objects, but what those objects mean to the viewer. Art as visual language, so to speak.

I think I may have to step away from what I teach, and instead read Bachelard on his terms.

Jim wrote: "I think I may have to step away from what I teach, and instead read Bachelard on his terms."

I’m not sure what you reach specifically, but indeed, this sounds like the right thing to do with Bachelard. Personally, I find his style evocative and, as you say, he touches on a variety of topics at the same time, so that, although his book feels like a pleasant read, I am never quite sure what point he is trying to make.