Abstract: Gothold Ephraim Lessing's Laocoon breaks the traditional theory of consistency of painting and poetry. He thinks there should be limits between the two. Comparing Laocoon in poets' eyes, such as the description in Virgil's Aeneid, with marble sculpture “The Laocoon and His Sons”, Lessing explores passion's expression in the space of painting and poetry, as well as space's and time's “copy” from each other. Re-examining Lessing's theory of space and time in painting and poetry from the point of Soja's post-modern theory of “Third Space”, Laocoon still has great significance in theory and practice against the background of the development of media technology and the prosperity of postmodern arts and visual poetry. Either poetry or painting has both physical and spiritual space, while having Soja's open “Third Space”. Soja's spatial theory offers a new perspective and dimension to re-scrutinise Lessing's theory in poetry and painting.

Key words: Lessing, Laocoon, poetry and painting, Soja, third space