FELLOWSHIP BY GAO JING

Lessing’s Theory of the Artistic Medium in Laocoön and Its Modern Interpretations

This study revisits Gotthold Ephraim Lessing´s Laocoön: An Essay on the Limits of Painting and Poetry, a foundational text in the history of media theory, and explores its modern reinterpretations. Through a twofold approach, the research aims to reassess the theoretical structure and contemporary significance of Lessing´s artistic medium theory. The first part undertakes a systematic analysis of Laocoön from the perspective of media studies, focusing on the ontological foundations, functional framework, and critical discourse of the theory of artistic medium in Laocoön. The second part traces the modern interpretive trajectories of Laocoön, offering a critical reflection on prevailing paradigms in modern artistic medium theory and evaluating the enduring theoretical value and cultural significance of Lessing’s media aesthetics in contemporary scholarly contexts.

This fellowship is funded by Nanjing University. The research project is part of the Major Project in Art Studies under the National Social Science Fund of China, titled “The Intermedia Construction of Art Theory and Its Epistemological Study.” 

See the related paper by Jens Schröter: The Laocoon Moment.