According to Post-modernists including deconstructivists, as Modernism is changed into Post-modernism, the paradigm is shifted from consciousness to language. The paradigm of consciousness corresponds to representational language, and the paradigm of language to self-referential one. In post-modern age most of architects are wandering what kind of language architecture is. Some theorists contend that architecture is representational, and others that it is self-referential. Allan Colquhoun, who is known as one of the best architectural theorists inUnited States, accepts both the former and the latter, but fails to reveal the meaning and the limitation, of the two languages. Although he believes that the representational language of architecture ('figure') is the source of self-referential language of architecture('form'), he never clearly answers what kind of language architecture. In order to overcome the limitation and the meaning of Colquhoun's figure and form, and synthesize the two language, this essay appropriates Martin Heidegger's some concepts, 'ready-to-hand,' 'present-at-hand' and 'being-in-the-world' to make a theoretical framework for 'image' which prevails over and synthesizes 'form' and 'figure.' Since Image is based upon both 'being-in-the world' and 'ready-to-hand,' it is the source of 'form' and 'figure.' When 'image' is fragmented, the former and the latter emerge. Image is therefore both the former and the latter because it represents and self-refers a world as a reality.

• 이동언(동명정보대학교 건축학부) | LEE Dong-Eon (Tongmyong University)