Leib ohne Seele (Body Without Soul).

In this brief essay, the Austrian artist Harald Koeck offers an introduction to his painting series "Leib ohne Seele," a selection of which is reproduced. "Leib ohne Seele" is concerned with nature of the autopsy, the people who are the subjects of autopsies, and so with death, and with contemporary attitudes towards and taboos concerning death. While not making an overtly philosophical contribution, Koeck touches on important issues that have been discussed by philosophers as diverse as Martin Heidegger and Peter Singer. Hegel argued that the arts pursue the same goals as philosophy, but do so through sensuous rather than conceptual media. Koeck exemplifies this, allowing his paintings and other works to open up issues for the philosopher. More of his work can be seen at his web site http://www.harald-koeck.com/index.html.