Upon realizing a resemblance between the body´s pose in the photographic self-portrait of Bayard as a drowned man and other visual productions made throughout Western history, a twenty-seven-image panel guided by the Warburguian notion of Pathosformeln was elaborated to discuss the transformations of Western society in confronting death, studied by Huizinga, Ariès and Morin. On the other hand, Poivert´s analysis on the relation of this photography with theater, the Chatterton biography, and the painting of the poet´s death has made it possible to think about the notions of play, ritual and performativity, present in Schechner; the forged character of Chattertonian poetry, discussed by Groom; and the strong simulation of this drowned man, based on Baudrillard´s thought.
Photography; Death; Performativity; Simulation; Pathosformeln
