A multimodal perspective on metaphors and metonymies in art: A case study of the artwork Agora by Magdalena Abakanowicz

Dorota Dąbrowska

University of Warsaw


Abstract

The article is a semiotic study of the artistic installation Agora designed by a famous Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz, based on the theoretical grounds of Cognitive Semantics. Metaphor and metonymy are conceptual processes whose communicative function is discussed in the paper, in particular, their role in deciphering possible meanings of the artwork. The paper also demonstrates how the multimodal analysis of the verbo-visual material can give rise to diverse interpretations of the figures.

Keywords:

cognitive semantics, metaphor, metonymy, art

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Published
2016-06-30


Dąbrowska, D. (2016) “A multimodal perspective on metaphors and metonymies in art: A case study of the artwork Agora by Magdalena Abakanowicz”, Crossroads. A Journal of English Studies, (13), pp. 4–12. doi: 10.15290/cr.2016.13.2.01.

Dorota Dąbrowska 
University of Warsaw