Lo spazio come rappresentazione della pseudo-realtà. Georges Perec e l’œuvre à contenu

Abstract

This article explores the concept of pseudo-reality and its connection to spatial representation in postwar abstract art, focusing on M. C. Escher and Georges Perec. As artists moved away from figurative depiction, space became a constructed and often paradoxical dimension shaped by mathematical structures, distortions, and logical ambiguities. The analysis highlights how Escher’s « impossible worlds » and Perec’s literary works redefine space as a mental and perceptual construct rather than a faithful representation of reality. Drawing on Perec’s distinction between formalism and oeuvre à contenu, the study emphasizes the active role of the viewer or reader in producing meaning. Through works such as Espèces d’espaces and Un homme qui dort, Perec develops a notion of space as manipulable and tied to the « infra-ordinary », where everyday details reveal both the complexity of reality and the limits of language. The article ultimately argues that pseudo-reality emerges through the interaction between representation and reception, positioning space as an experiential process rather than a fixed entity.