The problem of representation: From the religious sign to the metalanguage of the visual

Abstract

The article explores the evolution of the concept of “representation” in the context of visual art. It examines various models of representation – from ancient mimesis to the semiotic conception articulated within structuralist and postmodernist theory. At the center of the study is Ernst Gombrich’s essay Meditations on a Hobby Horse, where representation is understood not as imitation of external appearance, but as functional substitution, comparable to religious and magical images that serve as standins. This perspective resonates with Carlo Ginzburg’s conception of representation as metonymic substitution in historical and cult practices. The article also draws a parallel with Ferdinand de Saussure’s theory of the sign and its further development in the works of Rosalind Krauss, who interprets collage as a metalanguage of the visual. As a result, representation appears not as a transparent mediator between image and reality, but as an autonomous structure subject to artistic and philosophical reflection. The article proposes to regard representation as a key tool for analyzing contemporary art.