Ucho
The Ear

Summary/Abstract: The essay by George Bataille entitled La mutilation sacrificielle et l'oreille coupée de Vincent Van Gogh was published in the last issue of the periodical „Documents”. The author of this article presents his own version of the story by Bataille. „Three doctors described the case of Gaston F., recounted by Bataille in his essay about an ear, and did so even more readily since Dr. Borel personally drew Bataille’s attention to this case when Bataille told Dr. Borel about Vincent Van Gogh’s obsession with the Sun (...) There is no reason to separate Van Gogh’ ear and Gaston F.’s finger from the famous liver of Prometheus if we regard as justified an identification of the eagle the nourisher, the aetos prometheus of the Greeks, with a deity who robbed the Sun of its fire. (...) Each „Icarus-like being” who soars towards the Sun, approaches it much too closely, or wishes to steal its fire, is a self-mutilating being: it is Vincent Van Gogh, it is Gaston F.”.

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