Problems of Style – Foundations for a History of Ornament (Princeton Legacy Library) - Hardcover

Riegl, Alois

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691040877 ISBN 13: 9780691040875

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 1993

Synopsis

Written at the height of the arts and crafts movement in fin-de-sicle Vienna, Alois Riegl's Stilfragen represented a turning point in defining art and understanding the sources of its inspiration. Demonstrating an uninterrupted continuity in the history of ornament from the ancient Egyptian through the Islamic period, Riegl argued that the creative urge manifests itself in both "great art" and the most humble artifact, and that change is an inherent part of style. This new translation, which renders Riegl's seminal work in contemporary, readable prose, allows for a fresh reexamination of his thought in light of current revisionist debate. His discovery of infinite variation in the restatement of several decorative motifs--the palmette, rosette, tendril--led Riegl to believe that art is completely independent from exterior conditions and is beyond individual volition. This thinking laid the groundwork for his famous concept of Kunstwollen, or artistic intention. "Something that the translation will, I hope, convey, is the passion invested in Riegl's enterprise. We are made to feel that the issues he discussed mattered vitally to him; it was the very nature of art and its relation to human life that were at stake, art as an absolute necessity."--From the preface by Henri Zerner

About this title

Review

"A fine translation of [Riegl's] groundbreaking book of 1893 on the history of ornament, Problems of Stylehas been made available, equipped with a generous apparatus of notes enabling us to evaluate his theories in light of other scholarship on the subject."--The Times Literary Supplement

Synopsis

Demonstrating an uninterrupted continuity in the history of ornament from the ancient Egyptians through the Islamic period, this treatise argues that art is completely independent from exterior conditions and is beyond individual volition.

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691040877
• ISBN 13: 9780691040875
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 440