"Cambia Sobre el Mar Tu Fulgor": Latin American Calligrams and Semiotic Transcoding

Abstract

This paper deals with the works of José J. Tablada, Guillermo de Torre and Vicente Huidobro. The method of analysis is textual interpretative, which renders an explicative hypothesis. Firstly, we use semiotics to explain that a calligram is a convergence zone for different types of meaning. And its importance transcends each of its modes: it becomes an artistic occurrence and a cultural phenomenon. Then, we find how those codes they convey information on multiple levels so they can be combined to create art. The objective is interpreting how these poets used different methods to create art. They set an intermediate sense, different from the habitual one, which was articulated in multiple codes, where the graphic content was modelled by linguistic categories. The conclusion is this. These works evidence a double codification. If a real-world object can become a sign, and vice versa, in a calligram there is a double interplay between the sign and the object. So, it can be the best example of pure inventio