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Article published In:
Metaphor and the Social World
Vol. 9:1 (2019) ► pp.83–106

Actiones secundum fidei

Antithesis and metaphoric conceptualization in Banksy’s graffiti art

 | Sechenov University | University of Gdańsk
 | KU Leuven
In this article, we describe how antithesis and metaphoric conceptualization interact with each other and which rhetorical effects this interaction brings about. We illustrate this interaction with an analysis of seventeen graffiti artworks by Banksy, who uses the contraposition of visual elements that are characterized by opposite semantic and affective values. This article contributes to the expanding field of empirical studies of visual/pictorial metaphors and antitheses, in which artworks are interpreted according to conceptual dynamics and not only in relation to their thematic, semiotic and representational properties.
Keywords: antithesis, visual/pictorial metaphor, conceptual interaction, art, Banksy
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical background
  • 3.Banksy’s graffiti art
  • 4.Material and methods
    • 4.1Material
    • 4.2Methods
  • 5.Analysis and results
    • 5.1Metaphors and antitheses in Banksy’s graffiti art
      • 1. a security device is a non-urban entity
      • 2. a barcode is a cage
      • 3. an abandoned urban entity is an object of interest
      • 4. a fast-food customer is a caveman
      • 5. a weapon is a non-weapon
      • 6. a shopping bag is a national flag
      • 7. a refugee is an iconic character
      • 8. a child is a security guard
      • 9. the human organizational entity is a brittle object
      • 10.Statue of liberty is a child
      • 11. prohibition is a toy
      • 12.A tv set is a pet (a figure of affection)
  • 6.Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 20 May 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/msw.17021.pop
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