Summary of "Una y tres sillas" Joseph Kosuth

The video "Una y tres sillas" by Joseph Kosuth explores the concept of Art through the representation of a Chair in three different forms: a physical Chair, a photograph of the Chair, and a dictionary definition of the word "Chair." This setup serves as a visual code, a verbal code, and an object code, prompting viewers to question the nature and function of Art.

Artistic Techniques and Concepts:

Conceptual Art: The work exemplifies conceptual Art by encouraging viewers to engage in a reflective inquiry about the nature of Art itself.
Linguistic Nature of Art: It emphasizes the importance of language in Art, suggesting that all artistic proposals are fundamentally tied to linguistic interpretation.
Multiple Registers: By presenting the Chair in different formats, the artist prompts an exploration of how meaning and function can change based on context.

Key Questions Raised:

How do the different representations of a Chair (physical, photographic, and definitional) alter our understanding of what a Chair is?
Does the inclusion of an object in a work of Art change its essence?

Artistic Process:

Presenting an object alongside its representations to provoke inquiry.
Encouraging viewers to reflect on their experiences and interpretations of Art.

Creators/Contributors:

Joseph Kosuth

Notable Quotes

— 01:12 — « The art that I call conceptual is such because it is based on an inquiry into the nature of art. »

— 01:36 — « Fundamental to this idea of art is the understanding of the linguistic nature of all proposals of art whether past or present. »

— 01:49 — « Chasing a chair through three different registers, the artist asks us to attempt to decipher the sentences subliminals in which we express our experience of art. »