An icon on the screen: the (im)possibility of appearance

e-ISSN 2335-8785Straipsnyje apmąstoma ikonos pasirodymo ekrane galimybė. Ikona traktuojama ne tik kaip „tradicinis“ krikščioniškas paveikslas, bet kaip perviršio fenomenas (Jeanas-Lucas Marionas). Tad ekrane ieškoma ne paprasto atvaizdo, bet į mane besikreipiančio veido. Ikonos fenomeno ir ekrano medijos sandūra apmąstoma pasitelkiant Jeano- Luco Mariono, Marshallo McLuhano ir kitų autorių įžvalgas. Aptariant televizijos, kino, kompiuterio ekrano medijas ir jų turinį, parodomos kliūtys iki galo pasirodyti ikonai; taip pat pateikiamos „išsivadavimo“ iš paprasto atvaizdo galimybėsIn this article the phenomenon of an icon (as described by Jean-Luc Marion) is considered in relation with its media of appearance. Asking whether it can appear and be recognized as such in any medium or only in “iconic” media, attention is directed towards electronic media, namely the television, film and computer screens. The main question is whether “crossing of gazes” and recognition of the face is possible on screen. If not, the screen remains univocally a medium of an idol. Relation of an invisible icon to its medium (or environment) is found to be twofold: on the one hand, an icon itself is of ‘mediatic’ structure, since it implements the “medium is the message” phrase, given by Marshall McLuhan. The visible side of an icon is fully subservient to its invisible message – in other words, it becomes its message. On the other hand, an icon uses some kind of (additional) medium for its appearing. The medium can become an obstacle or a means due to its capabilities of presenting a situation of image and certain image logic with it. Although, J.-L. Marion is strictly sceptical about the possibilities of audio-visual technologies to transmit the phenomenon of the face, several occasions for a doubt and further investigation are found. Firstly, the liberation from the status of an idol to a certain extent and hence a suggestion of an icon is found where the ‘content’ of the medium reveals the medium itself. Thus, it enables recognising the image as image and implies the segmentation of ‘layers’ of images. Secondly, strong suggestion of the face of the other addressing me (the viewer) personally is observed in the situation of accepted prayer. However, this possibility is only discovered in examples and it is still lacking theoretical background. Except of this, the screen remains a medium which ‘filters out’ the phenomenon of an icon. [...]Filosofijos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta