Flesh and the Ideal: Winckelmann and the Origins of Art History
New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2000.
No Flaws or Blemishes but minimal shelf handling; Still Gift Quality. The bindings are tight and square. Text is clean; 9.25 inches tall; 294 pages with Chapter Notes, Index, and b/w illustrations.
Potts offers a profound intellectual biography of Johann Joachim Winckelmann and examines Winckelmann's articulation of the Greek ideal in art, emphasizing its emphasis on beauty, harmony, and the sublime. This idealization, often embodied in the male nude, reflects Enlightenment values and aspirations. However, Potts also highlights the complexities and contradictions inherent in this ideal, suggesting that it encompasses not only aesthetic admiration but also deeper psychological and ideological undercurrents.
The book discusses Winckelmann's approach to art history, which was innovative for its time. Winckelmann introduced a systematic framework for understanding the evolution of ancient art, categorizing it into phases such as the archaic, classical, and decadent. Potts analyzes how this historical perspective influenced subsequent art historical methodologies and how Winckelmann's work both anticipated and challenged the more rigid historicism that emerged in the 19th century. [Adapted from Reviews]
Subjects: Johann Joachim Winckelmann, Aesthetic Theory, Greek Art, Art Historical Methodology, Enlightenment Thought, Psychoanalysis, Cultural History; Art History, Biography, Philosophy.
Item #20365
ISBN: 0300087365
Price: $50.00
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