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Title: Abstraction and Empathy: A Contribution to the Psychology of Style (Elephant Paperbacks)
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Manufacturer: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher
List Price: $16.95
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| Customer Reviews: |
| Abstraction and Empathy: A Contribution to the Psychology of Style (Elephant Paperbacks) by Ivan R. Dee, Publisher A fantastic read of early modern theory |
Without writing a summary, I have to say that this book was delightful. It gives an excellent perspective on western thought in the early 20th century.
I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in art theory, art history, architectural history, or just generally interested in the modern movement. |
| Abstraction and Empathy: A Contribution to the Psychology of Style (Elephant Paperbacks) by Ivan R. Dee, Publisher One of the key documents of modern art |
| Published in 1908 , this doctoral dissertation of Wilhelm Worringer soon became the most valid theoritical support for Expressionism.Elaborating the idea of Riegl's "kunstwolen"(roughly means the will to create)Worringer suggested that the history of art is the history of artistic intentions raher than the artistic skills which culminates in the scientific observaton of the external world and became a Greco-Roman-Reaissance tradition.Empathy ,on he oher hand,is a subjective approach to aesthetics and fails to exlplain the arts outside the European tradition.So a more fundamental phychology is needed and Worringer showed that how this "will to form" at any period of human history is related to a man's surrounding world which causes him insecurity and fear. Art is a responce to overcome this constant flow of randomness and becomes a corrective to this feeling by means of creating permanent asthetic forms. Great book .Physical shape and large font of this book is highly satisfying.Also read author's "Form in Gothic". |
| Abstraction and Empathy: A Contribution to the Psychology of Style (Elephant Paperbacks) by Ivan R. Dee, Publisher Classic treatise on man's urge to create |
| Breaking man's urge to create down to the point of a dialectic battle between his level of comfort with the surrounding environment, Worringer outlines the historical balance between our urge to make what we perceive concrete (through abstraction) or organic (through empathy). This classic dissertation argues it is only by finding a state of equipoise between these two urges that art can make a lasting connection with any generation. Recommended for all those interested in advancing art and design evaluation beyond mere opinion. |
| Abstraction and Empathy: A Contribution to the Psychology of Style (Elephant Paperbacks) by Ivan R. Dee, Publisher Book Description |
| Worringer's classic study argues that in historical periods of anxiety and uncertainty, man seeks to abstract objects from their unpredictable state and transform them into absolute, transcendental forms. With an Introduction by Hilton Kramer. |
