Manifestation of Alchemy Symbols in Corresponding with Islamic Mysticism and Art

From the beginning of photography, various views were presented about the relationship between the body and photography, most of which focused on body as the subject of photography. Although such views address significant aspects of photography, very few studies have concentrated on the photographer’s body in creating works of art. Focusing on the concept of bodily perception, which is a bodily phenomenon in Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s point of view, and employing his extensive reviews on photography, this study investigated Merleau-Ponty’s theories with regard to photography in order to indicate how the body in photography takes a position beyond a mere subject of photography. This study intended to show that although Merleau-Ponty considered photography as nothing but mere freezing of a moment in time, which lacks the capabilities of other art media and thus was not in the center of his thought, he believed that the world is perceived through the subjective perspective of the body. Thus, like any other artist, the photographer can be considered at the core of such a reading. This paper would try to find a suitable answer about the idea of Merleau-Ponty’s reductionist approach to photography at early 20th century. It seems that the main reason of this attitude is the ignorance of many essential aspects of the relationship among the photographer, the photograph, and the world. However, by reflecting on his criticisms, Merleau-Ponty’s opinions can be applied to photography, presenting a different view of him.