It is not difficult to find in studies of visual communication reference to Gestalt authors, notably Donis A. Dondis and Rudolf Arnheim. In this article, the goethean foundations that underlie gestalt thinking are investigated. The aim is to uncover that Gestalt approach is supported by scientifically unproven romantic principles. For this reason, Gestalt has serious unsolved epistemological problems, and should not be used as a methodology for the analysis of pictures.Não é difícil encontrar em trabalhos devotados ao estudo da comunicação visual referência a autores provenientes da Gestalt, notadamente Donis A. Dondis e Rudolf Arnheim. Neste artigo, as bases goetheanas que fundamentam o pensamento gestáltico serão investigadas, objetivando...