This paper examines and compares the concept of the symbol in the work of Ernst Cassirer and Aby Warburg, two thinkers who collaborated and influenced one another through their association at the Warburg Institute. Cassirer's theory of the symbol had a profound impact on members of the Warburg circle, especially Erwin Panofsky. However, scholarly discussions that contrast their views often emphasise the differences - portraying Cassirer's symbol as discursive and Warburg's visual forms in the Mnemosyne Atlas as emotionally expressive. In doing so, such accounts frequently overlook Cassirer's conception of art as a symbolic form. Adopting an interpretive approach, this paper seeks to clarify the complex, ambivalent, and distinct nature of the symbol in the works of both authors. It places particular focus on Cassirer's understanding of the principles underlying art as a symbolic form, alongside Warburg's notion of visual memory in the Mnemosyne Atlas, named after the Greek goddess of memory and mother of the Muses. Despite their differences, the comparison of the authors' perspectives highlights a common ground between Cassirer's understanding of art as a symbolic form and Warburg's pathos formulas in the Mnemosyne Atlas. The central thesis of the paper is that Cassirer's conception of art as an aesthetic form aligns with Warburg's pathos formulas in the Atlas, particularly in the sense of spiritually shaped sensuousness. In comparing their positions, the paper takes into account both Cassirer's philosophy of art and the rational, discursive dimensions of Warburg's emotionally charged visual language.
Lamija Neimarlija (Wed,) studied this question.