"##$%&' ($)%$*& +,- .

/%)012)+/,34
")& +%%0)-/,5 &0 6/77$3 8$7$9:$


CaLarlna ombo nabals
ClCuL


ueleuze ls perhaps Lhe mosL lmporLanL phllosopher on aesLheLlcs of Lhe xxLh
cenLury. Pls books on rousL, kafka, lrancls 8acon or on Clnema, are mllesLones ln our
undersLandlng of Lhe aesLheLlc experlence. ln hls work, mosLly afLer ! #$%&'()*
+,(-.(&', we can see a cerLaln radlcallzaLlon of Lhe arLlsLlc experlence. Pe descrlbes
Lhe work of arL as self-expresslve movemenLs of Lhe senslble whose mode of exlsLence
ls an eplphany of way of llfe. 8ecoverlng Lhe LradlLlon of romanLlsm, ueleuze Lhlnks
aesLheLlcs as a phllosophy of naLure, as a phllosophy of Lhe self-expresslve properLles
of Lhe naLural forms. ArL sLarLs wlLh LerrlLorlal marks. 1hese do noL refer back nelLher
Lo a sub[ecL or a sensaLlon whlch capLure Lhem and presenL Lhem as marks, nor Lo an
ob[ecL whlch would [usL be noLhlng more Lhan an expresslon of marks. 1he deleuzlan
Lheory of arL ls Lhen an afflrmaLlon of a self-movemenL of Lhe expresslve quallLles"
1
.
lrom Lhe polnL of vlew of Lhls phllosophy of naLure, arL ls Lhe prlmordlal evenL of
naLural forms. ArL musL Lhen be LhoughL from LerrlLorlal marks creaLed by LerrlLorlal
anlmals. ArL ls fundamenLally /%'-.01 /,(2(0*. As Lorenz says, coral flsh are posLers"
2
.
1hese marks are arLlsLlc evenLs because Lhey are expresslve, because Lhey draw new
LerrlLorles whlch belong Lo Lhe anlmal LhaL creaLed Lhem. 8uL Lhese LerrlLorles are
arLlsLlc preclsely because Lhey are orlglnally expresslons, slgnaLures. Cnly afLer Lhey
become deLermlnaLlons, quallLles of Lhe anlmal LhaL produces Lhem
3
.

1
ueleuze, C. and CuaLLarl, l., ! #$%&'()* +,(-.(&', London: ConLlnuum, 2007, (1), p. 349.
2
1, p. 348.
3
1he expresslve ls prlmary ln relaLlon Lo Lhe possesslve, expresslve quallLles, or maLLers of expresslon, are
necessarlly approprlaLlve and consLlLuLe a havlng more profound Lhan belng. noL ln Lhe sense LhaL Lhese quallLles
belong Lo a sub[ecL, buL ln Lhe sense LhaL Lhey dellneaLe a LerrlLory LhaL wlll belong Lo Lhe sub[ecL LhaL carrles or
produces Lhem. 1hese quallLles are slgnaLures, buL Lhe slgnaLure, Lhe proper name, ls noL Lhe consLlLuLed mark of a
sub[ecL, buL Lhe consLlLuLlng mark of a domaln, an abode. 1he slgnaLure ls noL Lhe lndlcaLlon of a person, lL ls Lhe
chancy formaLlon of a domaln" (1, pp. 348-9).
WhaL ls relevanL here ls LhaL Lhls naLurallzaLlon of arL leads ueleuze Lo a
neurologlcal concepLlon of aesLheLlcs. AfLer Lhe dlscovery of Lhe auLonomy of
Lhe clnemaLographlc lmage as a braln maLerlallzed on Lhe screen ln Lhe volumes abouL
Clnema
4
, ueleuze Lhlnks Lhe braln as Lhe faculLy of sensaLlon. ArL ls presenLed as a
radlcal phllosophy of naLure where Lhe braln exlsLs among vegeLables and mlnerals. lL
ls malnly ln chapLer seven ercepL, affecL and concepL" of Lhe second parL of 3$(- 4'
+$4,%'%/$56 (enLlLled hllosophy, Sclence and ArL"), LhaL ueleuze exposes whaL can
be consldered hls lasL glance on arL.
1houghL ls maLerlallzed ln braln as sensaLlon. Cne can dlsLlngulsh Lhree plans ln
sensaLlon - Lhe plan of Lhe affecLs, LhaL of Lhe percepLs, and LhaL of Lhe concepLs.
AffecLs, percepLs and concepLs correspond Lo Lhe Lhree fundamenLal forms of LhoughL
- arL, sclence and phllosophy. ArL ls now concenLraLed ln a slngle plan: Lhe cerebral,
and condensed ln a new onLologlcal dlmenslon: Lhe 1houghL-braln. 1he braln ls a
slngular splrlL, aL Lhe same Llme vlrLual as Lhe concepLs LhaL lL creaLes and acLual as Lhe
chaos LhaL lL cuLs ouL wlLh lLs concepLs. lL ls Lhe mosL subLle dlmenslon of a naLure LhaL
conLemplaLes, of an lnLernal sensaLlon, llke soul or force, llke mlcro-bralns or lnorganlc
llfe of Lhlngs. ArL ls Lhen a splrlLual composlLlon of blocks of sensaLlons (as a zone of
lndeLermlnaLlon beLween LhoughL and a naLure fulfllled wlLh souls, fulfllled wlLh
mlcro-bralns).
ln 3$(- 4' +$4,%'%/$56, ueleuze presenLs arL as a compound of sensaLlons LhaL ls
preserved ln lLself, ln so far as lL exlsLs, and sensaLlons as Lrue belngs, real exlsLences.
ArL preserves, and lL ls Lhe only Lhlng ln Lhe world LhaL ls preserved"
3
. ln Lhelr
expresslon, sensaLlons flnd a self-sufflclenL mode of exlsLence. ArL produces, ln varlous
maLerlals, belngs LhaL remaln as much as Lhelr own expresslon. ArL ls a compound of

4
ln an lnLervlew abouL hls books on Clnema, ueleuze says: Clnema puLs movemenL noL [usL ln Lhe lmage, lL puLs lL
ln Lhe mlnd. SplrlLual llfe ls Lhe movemenL of Lhe mlnd" (ueleuze, C., #7% 8.94:.' %; <(*).'', new ?ork:
SemloLexL(e), 2007, p. 288). WlLh clnema, ueleuze dlscovers lmages LhaL leL see Lhe acLlvlLy of LhoughL. Clnema ls a
llfe of LhoughL, a splrlLual llfe.
3
ueleuze, C., 3$(- 4' +$4,%'%/$5 (W), p. 163. 1he work of arL only applles by lLs lnLernal conslsLency accordlng Lo
Lhe prlnclple LhaL wanLs Lhe self-poslLlon of Lhe creaLed (lLs lndependence, lLs auLonomy, lLs llfe by lLself). As such,
by vlrLue of Lhls prlnclple, Lhe work resembles noLhlng, mlmlcs noLhlng. lL musL 'subslsL by lLself', on lLs own,
wlLhouL polnLlng or referrlng back Lo a world ouLslde lL, whlch lL would reflecL, or Lo a sub[ecL whlch lL would
express. 1he llLerary work ls worLh on lLs own, lL ls by essence LhaL whlch sLands rlghL, LhaL whlch sLands: lL ls a
'monumenL' " (Mengue, hlllppe, Llgnes de lulLe eL uevenlrs dans la ConcepLlon ueleuzlenne de la LlLLeraLure", ln
=4,,.' >.,.&?.1 @%)2./-'A B%0' CD04. E1 ed. par SLefan Leclercq, Mons : Les LdlLlons Slls Marla, 2003, pp. 44, our
LranslaLlon).
belngs LhaL preserve Lhemselves for Lhemselves, ln Lhemselves, wlLhouL needlng
anoLher Lhlng whlch would [usLlfy Lhem or would supporL Lhem. lL ls Lhe percepL or
affecL LhaL ls preserved ln lLself. Lven lf Lhe maLerlal lasLs for only a few seconds lL wlll
glve sensaLlon Lhe power Lo exlsL and be preserved ln lLself (.). SensaLlon ls noL
reallzed ln Lhe maLerlal wlLhouL Lhe maLerlal passlng compleLely lnLo Lhe sensaLlon,
lnLo Lhe percepL or affecL. All Lhe maLerlal becomes expresslve. lL ls Lhe affecL LhaL ls
meLalllc, crysLalllne, sLony, and so on, and Lhe sensaLlon ls noL coloured buL, as
Cezanne sald, colourlng
6
. 1here ls a coexlsLence beLween Lhe maLerlal and Lhe
sensaLlon. 8oLh creaLe an eLernlLy LhaL remalns beyond Lhe maLerlal, because lL exlsLs
ln lLself. 1hls eLernal exlsLence becomes a belng of sensaLlon, an auLonomous
compound, an affecL and a percepL. AffecL becomes coloured, meLal or sLony, lL
engages everyLhlng ln a becomlng-color or a becomlng-sound, ln a becomlng-affecL.
ueleuze and CuaLLarl also lndlcaLe Lhls self-preservaLlon of Lhe sensaLlon ln arL as
an auLonomous block of sensaLlons. 1he work of arL ls a belng of sensaLlon.
SensaLlons, percepLs and affecLs, are F.4)9' whose valldlLy lles ln Lhemselves and
exceeds any llved. 1hey could be sald Lo exlsL ln Lhe absence of man because man, as
he ls caughL ln sLone, on Lhe canvas, or by words, ls hlmself a compound of percepLs
and affecLs. 1he work of arL ls a belng of sensaLlon and noLhlng else: lL exlsLs ln lLself"
7
.
1hls auLonomy of Lhe sensaLlon ls done by a double sacrlflce, aL Lhe same Llme of Lhe
ob[ecL of Lhe sensaLlon and Lhe sub[ecL of Lhe sensaLlon. lrom lLs beglnnlng, Lhe
creaLed Lhlng ls lndependenL from lLs model, as well as from Lhe specLaLor and Lhe
arLlsL who creaLed lL. 1he sensaLlons, percepLs and affecLs do noL need man as a
sub[ecL LhaL would granL Lhem a conslsLency or a [usLlflcaLlon. 1hey exlsL besldes and
before man. Accordlng Lo ueleuze and CuaLLarl, Lhe sensaLlon ls above all Lhe process
boLh of exceedlng Lhe llved (vecu) and of becomlng Lhe expresslve quallLles of Lhe
ob[ecL. lL ls ln Lhls sense LhaL Lhe arLlsL also enLers ln ecsLasy, ln an excess of Lhe
sensaLlon. Slnce he ls presenL ln any maLerlal, Lhe arLlsL becomes hlmself an affecL, a
compound of percepLs or affecLs: lL ls Lhe palnLer LhaL becomes blue"
8
.

6
W, pp. 166-7.
7
W, p. 164.
8
W, p. 181.
1hese auLonomous sensaLlons are Lhe effecL of whaL ueleuze and CuaLLarl deflne
as Lhe wresLlng" Lhe affecLs from Lhe affecLlons and Lhe percepLs from Lhe
percepLlons. 8y means of Lhe maLerlal, Lhe alm of arL ls Lo wresL Lhe percepL from
percepLlons of ob[ecLs and Lhe sLaLes of a percelvlng sub[ecL, Lo wresL Lhe affecL from
affecLlons as Lhe LranslLlon from one sLaLe Lo anoLher: Lo exLracL a bloc of sensaLlons, a
pure belng of sensaLlons"
9
. AesLheLlcs ls Lhus Lransformed lnLo a Lheory of Lhe pure
aesLhesls, noL an anLhropology of Lhe pure affecLs wresLed from Lhe affecLlons, nor
even a psychology of Lhe pure percepLs, buL an onLology of pure sensaLlons. 1he goal
of arL can Lhen be deflned as anLl-humanlsLlc, slnce lL corresponds Lo Lhe exLracLlon of
all Lhe sub[ecLlve feaLures of Lhe sensaLlon. 1he goal of arL ls Lo reach pure sensaLlon,
Lhe sensaLlon whlch ls no more a human feellng, Lhe pure affecL whlch ls no more an
affecLlon, Lhe pure percepL whlch ls no more a sub[ecLlve percepLlon. 1he maln
quesLlon of a Lheory of Lhe aesLheLlc experlence becomes Lhen LhaL of Lhe naLure of
Lhls wresLlng" an affecL or a percepL, Lhls exLracLlng" a block of sensaLlons.
1hls acL of wresLlng ls lnlLlally abouL a process of demollLlon of Lhe (Loo) human
condlLlons of Lhe experlence. ArL undoes Lhe Lrlple organlzaLlon of percepLlons,
affecLlons, and oplnlons ln order Lo subsLlLuLe a monumenL composed of percepLs,
affecLs and blocs of sensaLlons LhaL Lake Lhe place of language. 1he wrlLer uses words,
buL by creaLlng a synLax LhaL makes Lhem pass lnLo sensaLlon LhaL makes Lhe sLandard
language sLammer, Lremble, cry, or even slng: Lhls ls Lhe sLyle, Lhe `Lone', Lhe language
of sensaLlons"
10
. ArL ls Lhe uprooLlng of Lhe pure affecL and percepL from Lhe whole
sub[ecLlve sphere. lL ls a process of dlsLlllaLlon of Lhe sensaLlon. 1o succeed Lhls
process, Lhere are speclflc procedures Lo each creaLor. 8uL Lhey all concenLraLe
Lhemselves on Lhe same polnL: Lhe becomlng-lnhuman, Lhe becomlng-color, Lhe
becomlng-cry or pure sound of man.
AfLerwards lL ls necessary Lo bulld Lhese blocks of sensaLlons, Lo glve Lhem Lhe
condlLlon of a monumenL. 1he work of arL ls a compound whlch sLands by lLself, lL ls a
monumenL. 1he monumenL should noL be undersLood llke a llved or a memory of Lhe
pasL, buL on Lhe conLrary llke a compound of sensaLlons of Lhe presenL, self-sufflclenL

9
W, p. 167.
10
W, p. 176.
and whlch holds lLself on lLs own. 1he monumenL ls noL a memory of Lhe pasL buL a
compound of a plural Llme whlch always has Lhe presenL as a cenLre of gravlLy.
ln order Lo deny any vesLlge of a personal lnLerlorlLy, of Lhe klnd of reverle,
phanLasm, drlfLs of lmaglnaLlon or of memory, ueleuze and CuaLLarl deflne Lhe arL-
monumenL as an acL of fabulaLlon. 1he concepL of fabulaLlon, whlch appeared for Lhe
flrsL Llme ln Lhe work of ueleuze concernlng Lhe clnema, expresses Lhe menLal acLlvlLy
LhaL ls farLhesL from Lhe sub[ecLlve sphere. 1o confabulaLe ls an lmpersonal acL of
creaLlon, lL connecLs dlrecLly Lo a communlLy. lL ls Lhe acL of calllng upon a communlLy
Lo come, ln Lhe form of Lhe lL, Lhe neuLral, Lhe collecLlve, and whlch emerges ln Lhe
form of vlslons and of hearlngs. labulaLlon ls Lhus noL a sub[ecLlve or a deprlved
maLLer, lL ls raLher a quesLlon of becomlng and of vlslons
11
and belongs Lo Lhe world of
affecLs and pure percepLs, where a llfe appears as lmmanenL and released from lLs
sub[ecLlve aLLachmenLs, a llfe wresLed from Lhe personal llved. labulaLlon ls Lhe world
of Lhe affecLs and Lhe percepLs. As ueleuze and CuaLLarl explaln, Lhe percepL ls Lhe
landscape before man, ln Lhe absence of man (.). A;;.2-' (0. /0.24'.,5 -$.'.
)%)$&:() F.2%:4)9' %; :(), [usL as percepLs - lncludlng Lhe Lown - are )%)$&:()
,()*'2(/.' %; )(-&0."
12
. labulaLlon ls Lhls nonhuman becomlng of man, Lhls
nonhuman landscape of naLure, where affecLs and percepLs exlsL for Lhemselves, ln
Lhemselves, as pure becomlngs, ln absence of man.
1he cenLrlpeLal effecL of Lhe arL-monumenL, whlch wresLs Lhe affecLs from Lhe
percepLlons, wresLs Lhe arLlsL from hlmself. 1he arLlsL ls Lhe one LhaL becomes, l.e. he
ls Lhe one LhaL, ln Lhe acL of conLemplaLlon, [olns Lhe world, mlxes hlmself wlLh naLure,
and enLers a zone of lndlscernlblllLy wlLh Lhe unlverse. van Cogh becomes sunflower,
kafka becomes anlmal, Messlaen becomes rhyLhm and melody. lL should be sald of all
arL LhaL, ln relaLlon Lo Lhe percepLs or vlslons Lhey glve us, arLlsLs are presenLers of
affecLs, Lhe lnvenLors and creaLors of affecLs. 1hey noL only creaLe Lhem ln Lhelr work,
Lhey glve Lhem Lo us and make us become wlLh Lhem, Lhey draw us lnLo Lhe compound
(.). 1he flower sees (.). WheLher Lhrough words, colors, sounds or sLone, arL ls Lhe

11
CreaLlve fabulaLlon has noLhlng Lo do wlLh a memory, however exaggeraLed, or wlLh fanLasy. ln facL, Lhe arLlsL,
lncludlng Lhe novellsL, goes beyond Lhe percepLual sLaLes and affecLlve LranslLlons of Lhe llved. 1he arLlsL ls a seer, a
becomer" (W, p. 171).
12
W, p. 169.
language of sensaLlons"
13
. 1he arLlsL ls Lhe one LhaL llves Lhe affecL, Lhe one LhaL works
wlLh Lhe affecL and llves ln Lhe affecL, Lhe polnL of lndlsLlncLness beLween man and Lhe
anlmal or Lhe whole world, Lhe zone of lndlscernlblllLy beLween words and Lhlngs. 1he
arLlsL ls Lhe one LhaL, for example as ln Melvllle, becomes-ocean (Moby ulck), or
becomes-mlneral (8arLleby).
1he affecL ls a zone of lndeLermlnaLlon, of lndlscernlblllLy, as lf Lhlngs, beasLs,
and persons (Ahab and Moby ulck, enLhesllea and Lhe blLch) endlessly reach LhaL
polnL LhaL lmmedlaLely precedes Lhelr naLural dlfferenLlaLlon"
14
. 1he affecL ls Lhe sLaLe
of a llfe whlch precedes naLural dlfferenLlaLlon beLween formed belngs, Lhe sLaLe
where all form ls dlssolved. lL belongs Lo a pre-lndlvldual sLaLe, where man ls noL
dlsLlngulshed from Lhe anlmal or Lhe vegeLable, where all belngs are a-sub[ecLlve. 1he
affecL ls Lhe creaLlon of a zero degree of Lhe world. lL ls noL however a reLurn Lo Lhe
prlmlLlve sLaLe of llfe. lL ls raLher lLs re-creaLlon, Lhe resLarLlng of Lhe world: Llfe alone
creaLes such zones where llvlng belngs whlrl around, and only arL can reach and
peneLraLe Lhem ln lLs enLerprlse of co-creaLlon. 1hls ls because from Lhe momenL LhaL
Lhe maLerlal passes lnLo sensaLlon, as ln a 8odln sculpLure, arL lLself llves on Lhese
zones of lndeLermlnaLlon (.). lL ls a quesLlon only of ourselves, here and now, buL
whaL ls anlmal, vegeLable, mlneral, or human ln us ls now lndlsLlncL"
13
.
ueleuze and CuaLLarl could noL be more radlcal ln Lhelr anLl-humanlsm. noL even
Lhe flesh ls accepLed. 1hls ulLlmaLe auLhorlLy of sub[ecLlvlLy, halfway beLween an
ob[ecLlve body held for lLself, as a pure body, and a slgnlflcanL consclence, has Loo
much of a humanlsLlc LasLe. 1he belng of sensaLlon ls noL Lhe flesh buL Lhe compound
of nonhuman forces of Lhe cosmos, of man's nonhuman becomlngs, and of Lhe
amblguous house LhaL exchanges and ad[usLs Lhem, makes Lhem whlrl around llke
wlnds. llesh ls only Lhe developer whlch dlsappears ln whaL lL develops: Lhe compound
of sensaLlon"
16
. ln Lhls refusal of Lhe flesh, one flnds Lhe exLreme lmmaLerlallsaLlon of
Lhe sensaLlon, l.e. Lhe refuLaLlon of Lhe phenomenologlcal program of Merleau-
onLy who moves Lhe consclence Lowards Lhe body of Lhe chasm sensaLlon/felL. 1he

13
W, pp. 173-6.
14
W, p. 173.
13
W, pp. 173-4.
16
W, p. 183.
sensaLlon exlsLs for lLself, wlLhouL belng lncorporaLed by a flesh whlch would supporL lL
and sub[ecLlvaLe lL. 1herefore Lhe flesh, aL Lhe momenL of Lhe sensaLlon, musL
dlsappear. 1he flesh reveals Lhe ob[ecL of Lhe sensaLlon, aL Lhe same Llme as lL reveals
Lhe sensaLlon Lo lLself.
WhaL ls very lnLeresLlng ls LhaL, accordlng Lo ueleuze and CuaLLarl, Lhe refusal of
Lhe flesh as Lhe consclence of Lhe body and Lhe asserLlon of Lhe sensaLlon as an
exlsLence ln lLself, crossed by nonhuman forces, consLlLuLes Lhe basls of Lhe deflnlLlon
of Lhe sensaLlon as a pro[ecLlon of Lhe sensaLlon ln Lhe unlverse, ln Lhe cosmos, ln Lhe
lnorganlc llfe LhaL works lnLo Lhe nonhuman becomlngs of man. ArL ls capLaLlon of Lhe
lnsenslLlve forces of Lhe cosmos, of Lhe vlbraLlons, of Lhe llvlng llnes. ArL ls Lhe
expresslon of a non-organlc llfe whlch exlsLs and whlch vlbraLes ln Lhe unlverse. 1here
ls a force of llfe, a force of Llme LhaL only arL manages Lo capLure.
AnLl-humanlsm ls accompllshed ln lLs mosL exLreme formulaLlon, lL became a
cosmologlcal program, a sLudy of Lhe lnhuman forces and a Lopology of Lhe lnorganlc
llfe from Lhe rocks and Lhe planLs unLll Lhe nonhuman becomlngs of Lhe man.
ArL ls pure splrlL. lf arL ls a composlLlon of affecLs whlch are wresLed from Lhe
affecLlon, lL ls also naLure, lL ls also LerrlLory and house. lL ls ln Lhls sense LhaL ueleuze
and CuaLLarl lnslsL on Lhe Lhesls accordlng Lo whlch Lhe prlmordlal gesLure of arL ls Lo
cuL ouL, Lo carve, elLher chaos or a LerrlLory, always Lo make sensaLlons occur Lhere.
erhaps arL beglns wlLh Lhe anlmal, aL leasL wlLh Lhe anlmal LhaL carves ouL a LerrlLory
and consLrucLs a house"
17
. 1o carve a LerrlLory or Lo cuL our chaos: Lhese are Lhe very
flrsL momenLs of arLlsLlc creaLlon. All LhaL ls needed Lo produce arL ls here: a house,
some posLures, colors and songs - on condlLlon LhaL lL all opens onLo and launches
lLself on a mad vecLor as on a wlLch's broom, a llne of Lhe unlverse or of
deLerrlLorlallsaLlon"
18
. 8y Lhls lnsane vecLor, one reLurns absoluLely Lo Lhe zone of
lndlscernlblllLy beLween man and anlmal, words and Lhlngs, ln shorL, beLween arL and
naLure. ArL Lhen becomes Lhe relaLlonshlp beLween whaL ueleuze and CuaLLarl call Lhe
deLermlnaLed :.,%*42 2%:/%&)*'" and lnflnlLe /,() %; '5:/$%)42 2%:/%'4-4%)".

17
W, p. 183.
18
W, pp. 184-3.
1hey explaln lL as follows: lrom house Lo unlverse. lrom endosensaLlon Lo
exosensaLlon. 1hls ls because Lhe LerrlLory does noL merely lsolaLe and [oln buL opens
onLo cosmlc forces LhaL arlse from wlLhln or come from ouLslde, and renders Lhelr on
Lhe lnhablLanL percepLlble (.). 8uL lf naLure ls llke arL, Lhls ls always because lL
comblnes Lhese Lwo llvlng elemenLs ln every way: Pouse and unlverse, Pelmllch and
umhelmllch, LerrlLory and deLerrlLorlallzaLlon, flnlLe melodlc compounds and Lhe greaL
lnflnlLe plane of composlLlon, Lhe small and large refraln. ArL beglns noL wlLh flesh buL
wlLh Lhe house. 1haL ls why archlLecLure ls Lhe flrsL of Lhe arLs"
19
.
1hls double movemenL of arL beLween Lhe flnlLe and Lhe lnflnlLe, whlch
consLlLuLes Lhe plan of composlLlon llke a cuL ouL of chaos, ls whaL supporLs ueleuze's
and CuaLLarl's oLher deflnlLlon of arL: arL as LhoughL. ArL ls LhoughL, arL Lhlnks as much
as phllosophy or sclence. 1he purpose of arL ls Lo make Lhe chaos senslLlve, because,
accordlng Lo ueleuze and CuaLLarl, arL ls noL chaos buL a composlLlon of chaos LhaL
ylelds Lhe vlslon or sensaLlon, so LhaL lL consLlLuLes, as !oyce says, a chaosmos, a
composed chaos - nelLher foreseen nor preconcelved. ArL Lransforms chaoLlc
varlablllLy lnLo chaold varleLy"
20
. ArL ls composlLlon of chaos, lL Lransforms chaos lnLo
chaoide varleLy, whlle maklng lL comlng ouL from lLs sLaLe of chaoLlc varlablllLy. All
LhoughL ls relaLlon Lo and wlLh chaos
21
. noL a relaLlon of excluslon, buL on Lhe conLrary,
of lncluslon. 1he LhoughL ls Lhe resulL of an operaLlon done Lo chaos, lL ls Lhe very
composlLlon of chaos. 1o Lhlnk ls Lo glve conslsLency Lo chaos. 1o make chaos
conslsLenL ls Lo cuL lL ouL, lL ls Lo glve lL an own reallLy. Chaos becomes 1houghL, lL
acqulres a reallLy as 1houghL or menLal chaosmos.
ArL ls one of Lhe Lhree forms of cuLLlng ouL chaos. ArL, sclence and phllosophy are
Lhe Lhree Chaoides, Lhe Lhree forms of LhoughL and Lhe Lhree forms of creaLlng chaos.
Cn each plan LhaL cuLs ouL chaos lL occurs an own reallLy. 1hus, accordlng Lo ueleuze
and CuaLLarl, wlLhln lmmanence occurs phllosophy, wlLhln conslsLency occurs sclence
and wlLhln composlLlon occurs arL. 1he [uncLlon of Lhese Lhree plans ls called braln".

19
W, pp. 183-6.
20
W, p. 204.
21
A concepL ls a seL of lnseparable varlaLlons LhaL ls produced or consLrucLed on a plane of lmmanence lnsofar as
Lhe laLLer crosscuLs Lhe chaoLlc varlablllLy and glves lL conslsLency (reallLy). A concepL ls Lherefore a chaold sLaLe par
excellence, lL refers back Lo a chaos rendered conslsLenL, become 1houghL, menLal chaosmos. And whaL would
-$4)G4)9 be lf lL dld noL consLanLly confronL chaos?" (W, p. 208).
1he braln does noL consLlLuLe Lhelr unlLy, raLher merely belng Lhelr connecLlon, Lhelr
charL. 1he braln ls ln a sLaLe of overfllghL, self-overfllghL, lL ls co-presenL wlLhln all lLs
deLermlnaLlons, and lL Lravels Lhrough Lhem aL lnflnlLe speed. lL ls noL a braln behlnd
Lhe braln buL, flrsL of all, a sLaLe of survey wlLhouL dlsLance, aL a ground level, a self-
survey LhaL no chasm, fold, or hlaLus escapes. lL ls a prlmary, 'Lrue form' as 8uyer
deflned lL: nelLher a CesLalL nor a percelved form buL a ;%0: 4) 4-'.,; LhaL does noL
refer Lo any exLernal polnL of vlew (.), lL ls an absoluLe conslsLenL form LhaL surveys
4-'.,; lndependenLly of any supplemenLary dlmenslon, whlch does noL appeal Lherefore
Lo any Lranscendence"
22
.
1he braln, boLh as Lhe creaLlon of concepLs and cuL of chaos, ls a slngular splrlL. lL
ls Lhe mosL subLle dlmenslon of a naLure LhaL conLemplaLes, of an lnLernal feellng, as
soul or force, as mlcro-bralns or lnorganlc llfe of Lhlngs. lL ls aL Lhe momenL of Lhlnklng
Lhe braln LhaL ueleuze and CuaLLarl propose Lhelr mosL radlcal asserLlon of Lhelr anLl-
humanlsm: lL ls noL man who Lhlnks, buL Lhe braln. lL ls Lhe braln LhaL Lhlnks and noL
man - Lhe laLLer belng only a cerebral crysLalllzaLlon. We wlll speak of Lhe braln as
Cezanne of Lhe landscape: man absenL from, buL compleLely wlLhln Lhe braln.
hllosophy, arL, and sclence are noL Lhe menLal ob[ecLs of an ob[ecLlfled braln buL Lhe
Lhree aspecLs under whlch Lhe braln becomes sub[ecL, 1houghL-braln"
23
. 8raln
becomes a Sub[ecL when lL becomes 1houghL.
ueleuze draws aLLenLlon Lo a resonance beLween maklng a LerrlLorlal form of arL
- house, posLures, colors, songs - and Lhe be Lo lL form ln oneself of a 1houghL-braln.
As long as form whlch reLurns only Lo lLself, Lhe 1houghL-braln can be known as one
l". 1he braln ls an l, a phllosophlcal l concelve", a sclenLlflc l refer", or an arLlsLlc l
feel"
24
. More Lhan belng cerebral, arL ls abouL soul. As a compound of sensaLlons, arL ls
force of boLh conLracLlon and resonance of vlbraLlons. SensaLlon ls nelLher a reacLlon
nor an exclLaLlon
23
. lL ls raLher conLemplaLlon. lL ls also conservaLlon of Lhe vlbraLlon

22
W, p. 210.
23
W, p. 210.
24
W, p. 211.
23
SensaLlon ls no less braln Lhan Lhe concepL. lf we conslder Lhe nervous connecLlons of exclLaLlon-reacLlon and
Lhe lnLegraLlons of percepLlon-acLlon, we need noL ask aL whaL sLage on Lhe paLh or aL whaL level sensaLlon appears,
for lL ls presupposed (.). SensaLlon ls Lhe exclLaLlon lLself (.) as lL ls preserved or preserves lLs vlbraLlons. SensaLlon
conLracLs Lhe vlbraLlons of Lhe sLlmulanL on a nervous surface or ln a cerebral volume: whaL comes before has noL
and, followlng Lelbnlz, ueleuze calls Lhls conLracLlon a conLemplaLlon whlch preserves,
ln Lhe sense of a pure passlon. 8y Lhls deflnlLlon of conLemplaLlon as a conLracLlon,
ueleuze can make sensaLlon resound Lhrough all naLure, from man Lo rocks. LeL us
conslder hls quoLe aL lengLh, 1hese are noL ldeas LhaL we conLemplaLe Lhrough
concepLs buL Lhe elemenLs of maLLer LhaL we conLemplaLe Lhrough sensaLlon. 1he
planL conLemplaLes by conLracLlng Lhe elemenLs from whlch lL orlglnaLes - llghL,
carbon, and Lhe salLs - and lL fllls lLself wlLh colors and odors LhaL ln each case quallfy
lLs varleLy, lLs composlLlon: lL ls sensaLlon ln lLself. lL ls as lf flowers smell Lhemselves by
smelllng whaL composes Lhem, flrsL aLLempLs of vlslon or of sense of smell, before
belng percelved or even smelled by an agenL wlLh a nervous sysLem and a braln. Cf
course, planLs and rocks do noL possess a nervous sysLem. 8uL, lf nerve connecLlons
and cerebral lnLegraLlons presuppose a braln-force as faculLy of sensaLlon coexlsLenL
wlLh Lhe Llssues, lL ls reasonable Lo suppose also a faculLy of sensaLlon LhaL coexlsLs
wlLh embryonlc Llssues and LhaL appears ln Lhe Specles as a collecLlve braln, or wlLh
Lhe vegeLable Llssues ln Lhe `small specles'"
26
.
1o feel ls Lo conLracL, and Lhe conLracLlon ls whaL preserves and ls preserved. As
an answer Lo chaos, Lhe sensaLlon conLracLs and preserves vlbraLlons. lL ls ln Lhls force
of conLracLlon LhaL Lhe sensaLlon ls preserved ln lLself, and becomes quallLy or varleLy.
1he sensaLlon conLemplaLes and, aL LhaL Llme, lL fllls lLself wlLh whaL lL conLemplaLes.
1he soul preserves whaL Lhe maLLer dlsslpaLes, and ls composed of oLher sensaLlons
LhaL lL conLracLs ln lLs Lurn. Powever, Lhe soul ls noL an acLlon buL raLher a faculLy Lo
smell, Lo collecL, Lo conLemplaLe
27
. Soul ls a pure lnLernal leellng, a passlve faculLy, a
conLemplaLlon wlLhouL acLlon, movemenL or knowledge. lL ls a pure lnLernal
conLracLlon of self-fllllng. Soul ls Lhus a sensaLlon ln lLself.
As such, Lhe splrlLual and Lhe LerrlLorlal dlmenslons form Lhe Lwo poles of arL. ArL
as splrlL corresponds Lo Lhe oLher deflnlLlon of arL as demarcaLlon of a LerrlLory, as

yeL dlsappeared when whaL follows appears. 1hls ls lLs way of respondlng Lo chaos. SensaLlon lLself vlbraLes because
lL conLracLs vlbraLlons (.). SensaLlon ls Lhe conLracLed vlbraLlon LhaL has become quallLy, varleLy. 1haL ls why Lhe
braln-sub[ecL ls here called '%&, or ;%02., slnce only Lhe soul preserves by conLracLlng LhaL whlch maLLer dlsslpaLes,
or radlaLes, furLhers, reflecLs, refracLs, or converLs" W, p. 211.
26
W, p. 212.
27
ConLemplaLlng ls creaLlng, Lhe mysLery of passlve creaLlon, sensaLlon. SensaLlon fllls ouL Lhe plane of
composlLlon and ls fllled wlLh lLself by fllllng lLself wlLh whaL conLemplaLes: lL ls 'en[oymenL' and 'self-en[oymenL'. lL
ls a sub[ecL, or raLher an ln[ecL (W, p. 212).
consLrucLlon of a house, because soul ls presenL even aL Lhe level of planLs and rocks.
Soul ls noL speclflc Lo Lhe braln, ln lLs connecLlons or nervous Llssues. lL also
lncorporaLes lLself lnLo Lhe mosL elemenLary and embryonlc exlsLences, as a pure
faculLy of feellng. 1hls vlLallsm essenLlal Lo all form of exlsLence, Lhls soul of Lhe bralns
as well as of rocks or planLs, ueleuze and CuaLLarl condense lL ln only one expresslon:
Lhe lnorganlc llfe of Lhlngs. noL every organlsm has a braln, and noL all llfe ls organlc,
buL everywhere Lhere are forces LhaL consLlLuLe mlcro-bralns, or an lnorganlc llfe of
Lhlngs"
28
.
ArL ls capLure of Lhe force of llfe and also creaLlon of a llfe whlch sLands by lLself
and whlch, for lLself, capLures Lhe lnLenslLy of llfe's lmmanence. And lL ls by Lhe
explanaLlon of Lhls mode of capLurlng llfe LhaL ueleuze proposes a phllosophy of Lhe
splrlL. 8ecause splrlL, deflned ln 3$(- 4' +$4,%'%/$56 as soul", force", form ln lLself",
ls whaL, ln Lhe LhoughL, manages Lo fly over chaos, Lo make lL senslLlve, Lo cuL lL ouL lL
so as Lo Lurn lL lnLo a chaoide or a compound of affecLs and percepLs. 1he splrlL ls Lhe
lnorganlc llfe of LhoughL, Lhe mlcro-braln as pure self-conLemplaLlon (of lLself) wlLhouL
knowledge. ArL ls Lhen a Lrue LranscendenLal exerclse, because lL ls aL Lhe same Llme
boLh a cerebral experlmenLaLlon (lnsLead of faculLles, ueleuze now proposes Lhe braln,
Lhe mlcro-braln) llke LhoughL, and an arLlsLlc creaLlon of a llfe, a llfe as LoLal
lmmanence of Lhe sensaLlon. ArL ls Lhen a LranscendenLal emplrlclsm of Lhe sensaLlon
as an lnorganlc exerclse of Lhe braln.
We Lherefore undersLand LhaL Lhe program of LranscendenLal emplrlclsm ls Lhe
research of Lhe absoluLe lmmanence. WlLh Lhe flgure of Lhe braln as splrlL or form ln
lLself, ueleuze can now make Lhe formal or Lhe condlLlons of posslblllLy colnclde wlLh
Lhe real condlLlons of LhoughL. ArL and LhoughL meeL each oLher as creaLlon, Lhe
former of sensaLlons, Lhe laLLer of concepLs. 1houghL has lLs genesls ln an lmmanenL
splrlL, a splrlL as a form ln lLself" LhaL renders Lhe chaos senslLlve. And arL ls preclsely
creaLlon and splrlLual composlLlon of chaos. lf ueleuze, as he hlmself acknowledges lL,
was always lnLeresLed ln vlLallsm, lL ls ln Lhls pure lmmanence, ln Lhe splrlL as pure
conLemplaLlon wlLhouL knowledge, sensaLlon ln lLself, LhaL he wlll flnd, lLs flnal

28
W, p. 213.
formula: lmmanence: a llfe.". 1he lmmanenL llfe ls Lhen aL Lhe same Llme a llfe as
lnorganlc splrlLual llfe, pure lmage ln conLemplaLlon of lLself, and a llfe as whaL arL
produces under whaL Lhere ls of more lmpersonal, pre- and a-sub[ecLlve: mlcro-bralns
presenL ln all naLure, or, Lo Lake once agaln Lhe expresslon used by ueleuze, Lhe
collecLlve braln" of Lhe small specles llke planLs and rocks. 1o undersLand arL
accordlng Lo ueleuze ls Lhus Lo undersLand LhaL, as a collecLlve maLLer of naLure, arL ls
a pan-psychlsm, a naLural and neurologlcal Lheory of Lhe mlcro-bralns.