A Portrait of Ortega y Gasset

Abstract

Reading only the title of this article, the first thing that comes to mind might be that it focuses on a particular work of art, more precisely, the image of José Ortega y Gasset, as represented in one form of visual arts. But such a conclusion would be wrong. The fact that this piece of writing is part of a collection of articles dedicated to Ksenija Atanasijević’s thought suggests – evidently – that she is the author of that portrait. This genre is not exclusively the realm of artists, but also of philosophers and generally all those who primarily express themselves with words. A detailed reading of Atanasijević’s article on Ortega y Gasset, more than half a century after it was first published, is complemented by her positions, presented in her other writings. A particular question at issue here is the affinity or similarity of these two thinkers’ theoretical standpoints.