The subject of this study deals with the style, methodological foundations and motivations of Oskar Cepan's interpretations of the abstract works of art. The marginal position of his essays within the Slovak art criticism of the decade does not mean that they are historically unimportant or of lower quality. One must consider them within the officially-favored notion of art and cultural policy in communist Czechoslovakia, which did not support the theory and practice of abstract art. Furthermore, the monographical studies on works of Rudolf Fila, Marian Cunderlik and Vladimir Tatlin were prohibited from being published at the beginning of the 1970s. One of the study's initial proposals is an examination of the relation of avant-garde principles to the formalist method, focusing on composition, structure, the material qualities and the function of the artwork. Second one is an analysis of Oskar Cepan's most important studies provided in comparison to art criticism of the decade and research of other scholars in the field of Russian avant-garde in Czechoslovakia. In particular, the author is concentrated on the analogies between his theory of modern literature, published in book 'Literary Bagatelles', and the steps of his interpretation regarding abstract art. On one hand, Cepan in his writings developed something like a realm of freedom; on the other hand, although rather marginal and fragmentary, his theory represents an interesting contribution to the comparative study of the visual images and words for the period of the late modernism in East-Central Europe.
Considering the impact of Zimmermann's aesthetics on the Wiener Schule der Kunstgeschichte and the influence of Riegl's art history on the 20th century art theory, the relation between philosophical aesthetics and art history is a potent theme. The study focuses on two questions: firstly, what is the place of the aesthetic dimension in Riegl's art history and how does it differ from Zimmermann's aesthetics? Secondly, how did Zimmermann's formalist aesthetic influence Riegl's analysis of the visual work of art?
Artistic image is one of the central concepts of Váross’s posthumously published writings titled From creativity to creation (Bratislava 1989). Contrary to most common users of language in Váross the concept was to denote the concretization of an artwork in the percipient’s consciousness. The paper aims at a closer analysis of Váross’s definition of the concept in question, bringing the related citations and showing its place within a wider context of Váross’s theory of art. Further, it unveils some connections between his definition of artistic image and the key issues of the theory of image as reflected in contemporary image sciences (iconology, Bildwisseschaften).
The issue of centre-periphery relationships has increased in importance in the context of the globalised world and enlarged European Union. While Western researchers seem to be more focused on previously marginal areas, Eastern art historians still see much work to be done exploring the connections between local phenomena and more dominant cultural centres. In fact the largely secondary nature of local material opens up a wide spectrum of influences and analogies waiting for elucidation. There are not many works on connections in particular, but a focus on the context and possible patterns of influence has become an indispensable part of the most recent publications in Latvian art history. Studies of Latvian art-theoretical heritage indicate that German sources have been the most influential in shaping Latvian authors' opinions on what is art and how its development could be conceived. Max Liebermann, Richard Muther, Julius Meier-Graefe, Wilhelm Worringer and other writers on art should be mentioned in this respect. French influences that started to spread with Hippolyte Taine's ideas were important but more indirect, episodic and sweeping, mostly seeking alternative models to the local heritage of German and Russian traditions. So French Cubist and Purist idioms were particularly attractive for local modernists but Henri Begson's stance was especially widespread in the field of aesthetics and philosophy. Apart from the Russian avant-garde ideas introduced by Voldemars Matvejs, Russian art-theoretical sources had a limited impact, more related to particular authors' interests. In general, Latvian writers on art have been inconsistent and rather skeptical towards the radical avant-garde. The argument of national art as being at a relatively early stage of development encouraged the ancient tradition of thinking on art as a recreated and perfected imitation of nature.
The early 20th century brought rapid changes in scientific and technological developments, politics, government and social behaviour, prompting a radical reassessment of art. Theoretical works by Voldemars Matvejs (1877-1914) - 'The Russian Secession' (1910), 'The Principles of New Art' (1912), 'The Principles of Creativity in Plastic Arts. Texture' (1914), 'The Art of the Easter Island' (1914), introduction to the selection of Chinese poetry 'Chinese Pipe' (1914) and 'Negro Art' (1919) - reflect all the peculiarities of the early 20th century modernism. The article aims to reveal the significance of several scientific discoveries and terms in the theoretical works of Matvejs and his contemporaries. The article begins with an examination of two sources that influenced Matvejs' worldview. This developed partly out of the philosophy of nature (Naturphilosophie) of the time, featuring naturalistic overtones partly related to the scientific examining of the human mind. Matvejs' notebooks contain the name of the German physiologist Max Verworn (1863-1921) who dealt with both experimental physiology and the psychology of art. Mysticism was of no lesser importance for Matvejs' theories that endowed every natural process with a mythical significance; in this respect he was hardly unique among the representatives of modernism. It is important to note that Matvejs was familiar with the German Neo-Kantian philosopher and historian Georg Mehlis' (1878-1942) work Formen der Mystik. The idea of 'origins' was related to nature and the effects of the forces of the outer (macro) world. However, it was equally important to find some elementary particle.
The basic premises of Marxism in respect to art are well known - art is a social phenomenon impossible to explain outside the economic structures of the society in which and for which it is made. Although primitive, deterministic versions of Marxism are largely of historical interest only, seeing art processes as a field of interaction of social, ethnic, gender, race and other contextual factors has not only been recognised but also became a dominant set of interpretational strategies. If feminism, gender studies or the post-colonial discourse are relatively new on Latvian soil, Marxist ideas have circulated in the local intellectual milieu since the late 19th century. In line with the dominant Soviet ideology, they have been comparatively well documented. In the interwar period Marxist ideas developed from more radical, expressionist-style echoes of proletarian culture to gradual restoration of order. Art as the indicator of the class struggle also sometimes left room for the concept of artist-genius, his gift consisting precisely in an ability to sense the social change first, as described by art historian Kristaps Eliass. The writer Andrejs Kurcijs who attempted to introduce the trend of Activism, a term coined in the melting pot of European Avant-garde trends, also voiced a compromise between the understanding of form and sociological assessment, each illuminating the other. Though politically unacceptable, leftist views emphasising serious content instead of the bourgeois formalism were selectively institutionalised as 'progressive' in the following period of Soviet domination.
JavaScript jest wyłączony w Twojej przeglądarce internetowej. Włącz go, a następnie odśwież stronę, aby móc w pełni z niej korzystać.