Michel Foucault. This is not a pipe

The essay "This is not a pipe" was first published in 1968. It is short but rich in content, offering a deconstruction of the language of painting that differs from conventional views. The core of the narrative is formed by M. Foucault's reflections on René Magritte's painting "The Treachery of Images" (1928-29), which depicts a pipe with the inscription below it: "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" (This is not a pipe).

In the essay, the philosopher addresses the interaction between words, images, and reality, which René Magritte's painting highlights in its conceptual structure. M. Foucault subtly examines the multilayered nature of Magritte's work, offering a new perspective on René Magritte's painting. Despite the essay's thematic core, it distinctly characterises the fundamental essence of M. Foucault's philosophical thought, which tends to examine the essence of the absurd.

Title: This is not a pipe
Author: Michel Foucault
Publisher: The Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art
Language: Latvian
Release date: 2015