Yao Yifan
1. The Story of Art is a good book, once in a hundred years, and it is a gift from God to the layman of art history.
2. The Story of Art is a theoretical work, and Gombrich provides us with a set of methods to observe the history of art ... This method has several points:
The goal of art
"What you see and hear" is the main line of artistic stories, which helps to understand the artist's artistic goals.
"The contradiction between three-dimensional and pattern" is helpful to understand the artist's creative intention.
The evolution of artists' social status
Third, cooperate with reading:
Be sure to read it together with the notes of The Story of Art by Professor Fan Jingzhong. It expands many concepts and provides a lot of information from an academic point of view, which is of great benefit to understanding the original work. This book includes the following manuscript of Professor Fan Jingzhong's speech.
Gombrich is influenced by karl popper's philosophy, and Popper's works can be read together.
Art history is connected with world history, philosophy history and music history, such as Delacroix and Chopin, george sand, Zola and Cezanne, which is very interesting. You need a certain foundation of European history to grasp the age. I recommend reading Chen Hengzhe's Fifteen Lectures on European Civilization, Chen Lemin and Western History.
Fourth, why do you want to study art history?
Hemingway said that when he was hungry, he went to the Luxembourg Museum to see Manet, Monet and Cezanne ... and nourished his soul with those paintings and sculptures. If he is really hungry, he strolls to Miss Stein's house at No.27 Garden Road to grab something to eat and drink "sweet wine distilled naturally from purple plum, yellow plum or wild raspberry". Hemingway, once a "eight drifters" (drifting in Paris), also has the same loneliness as a young man drifting north now.
Every writer's "poor writing" has different swimming methods. Hemingway supported himself with art, music and exhibitions in Paris, while J.K. Rowling was inspired by seeing her newborn daughter around. Whether it's Hemingway1920s in Paris, Rowling1990s in Edinburgh, Lu Xun1920s in Siheyuan, or Zhang Ailing1930s-40s in postwar Hong Kong, when the soul of writing is stretched, it becomes more energetic. Writers always try their best to experience, perceive and describe the world. After many years, when all the materials are lost in the bones, it seems that only their spirit can last forever.
Through J.K. Rowling's new book and poor writing
Finally, I will provide my reading notes, analyze Mr. Fan Jingzhong's speech and make an outline.
A narrator of art stories.
Professor Fan Jingzhong's Speech in Commemorating the Centennial Birthday of Gombrich on June 5438+ 10, 2009.
First, the concept of art.
"Useless things don't answer, you can live a limited life? Therefore, the more hobbies, the closer you are to addiction. " ~ Zhang Yanyuan, the first art historian in China in the middle of the 9th century. It is a magical idea to take painting so seriously and spend your life and time on it, otherwise you will feel that this life is very hard.
"Du Fu's poems refer to Xue Shaobao's' cherishing fame and fortune, but seeing calligraphy and painting'. He is just an old Confucian who is greedy for fame and fortune. Don't you know his inherent fate? He is almost admired by the loneliness in life. Look at the achievements of the five heavenly kings and find a joke for women; Shao Bao's pen and ink are wonderful and widely copied, and the stone hammer is re-engraved, the silk is broken, and it is re-filled, pretending to be a walker. How can it be counted? However, talented scholars, Bao Ruijin and Yan criticized dozens of them as strange people. Look back at the five heavenly kings, all in rags and full of joy! Although the boy knows that he can't catch a little, he knows it very well. " Miffy, History of Painting
"Therefore, China's thousands of years of art skills, a spin waste, future generations or and can't preach its method. If Song Yanshi's drama "Woodenhead", the public defeat, the flying kite, Zhang's seismograph, Zhuge's wooden ox and flowing horse, the boat in Zu Chongzhi in the south, the gold man who can open an account in the library of the Sui Dynasty, the trip to Yuwenkai and the clock can not be spread to the future, so that Europe and the United States can use science and technology to grow stronger on today's earth. In this case, China people do not know how to respect heroes, nor do they know the great sin of preserving antiquities. However, if we don't know how to respect heroes and preserve antiquities, it will really be a trip to barbarians, and our people are unfortunate. "
"When I was traveling in Scotland, I created my own turbine watt and created Darwin in biology. All poets, literati, musicians, robots and grooms can refer to me and tell me. Its reverence for English philosophers, although the most despised inferior people, can be the same, poor villages can do it. China people were not bad in ancient times, but they were little known outside one or two celebrities. If you follow the fashion or put it well, you will sweep away everything, which is also the reason why China's antiques flourish. Those who don't understand westerners think that westerners are scholars specializing in application, but they don't know that their ancient and heavy relics are all over the people, which is a hundred times that of China. "
"Husband, this world is inherently useless. Invalid, even useless. And in a room, if there is no void, you can't rotate. However, useless emptiness has many uses. The villain sees its shallowness, and the gentleman can worry about its distance. Antiquities are useless, but they remind people of ancient affairs, make them immortal and encourage their impressions, but some people don't know. "
Kang Youwei was the first real art comparer between China and the West. He showed the importance of art history to a civilization.
"This pile of Weng Temple (Pantheon) has been painted side by side with the famous king's coffin for two thousand years. Sighing that people respect art is a shame in this wind. " Travel notes of eleven European countries. "
Before the Renaissance, western artists were just craftsmen. Since the Renaissance, Italy began to regard artists as so important that they could even be buried with the king. /kloc-in the 0/8th century, a huge tourism movement appeared in Europe. In short, art is a compulsory course for any gentleman. To be a real gentleman, you must go to Italy and Rome for art education, which has almost become a religion in German-speaking countries.
As E.P. Thompson said, "In the18th century, the control of the ruling class was mainly cultural hegemony, followed by the expression of economic or material (military) power." Through Wikipedia
Second, the life of Kan Brich 2. 1Bildung/ Humanities Education/Cultivation of Science and Art/Religion
My father is a lawyer, my mother is a pianist and my two sisters are violinists and lawyers. Their spiritual pillar is not the religion of God, but the religion of science and art..
One shouldn't waste a day. He should at least listen to a good song, read a good poem, look at a good painting-if possible-and at least say a few words of understanding. ~ Goethe
2.2 Music
For most Viennese, music is undoubtedly the most important; Playing classical music is almost religious in spirit and belief. I grew up in the belief that great music shows higher value. ~ Gombrich
2.3 literature
He has read Homer's epic Mahabharata, The Water Margin, The Second Plum, The Jade Pear and so on. German literature is familiar with Goethe, Schiller and Lessing. He blurted out Shakespeare's poems.
2.4 background of art history
In short, the study of art history has roughly experienced the following stages, from the Renaissance to the18th century, mainly written by painters and art lovers, such as vasari's "Whose Biography". /kloc-in the 0/9th century, new art historians appeared. On the one hand, they search for biographies of artists recorded in documents and archives, on the other hand, they record works collected by churches, palaces and museums. In the 1990s of 19, people began to pay attention to style history, such as riegel and Wolflin. However, in Gombrich's student days, some new ideas attracted people's attention. Art history is no longer regarded as just a history constructed by art, but also links art history with other branches of history, such as political history, literary history, religious history and philosophical history. This new concept mainly comes from the Warburg School in Hamburg. But in Vienna, what matters is still style. The ambition of Vienna School is to make a scientific explanation for the change of style.
In the academic field, Gombrich established his position as a thinker through art and illusion. Baudrot said: For 40 years, it has been the discussion center of art philosophy and art criticism. His influence is not limited to art history, aesthetics and perceptual psychology, but also affects scholars who study Shakespeare, maps and philosophy of science. He was knighted in England and won many honors all over the world.
Third, the story of art.
3. 1 The language is simple, the structure is complete, and it is done by memory in one go.
What is the charm of this book? I think it is simply the beauty of its structure except its plain language. It is quite clear, quite complete ... interlocking, seamless, with a sense of unity. It's like reading a novel, because there seems to be a clue hidden in it, which unfolds layer by layer with the plot, unlike ordinary history books, which makes people feel like tofu blocks piled up. Perhaps this has something to do with Gong's writing speed. It took him only a few months to test how much art history he remembered, almost by memory.
Notes on "The Story of Art"
Masters always have such a superior memory and a solid childhood. Gombrich wrote art history from memory, and Mu Xin wrote literary memoirs from memory. Let future generations sigh.
3.2 The main points of Gombrich's view of art history
3.2. 1 Unique views on the analysis method of art forms
3.2. 1. 1 art change sensibility theory [art change sensibility theory]
The change of art is based on perceptual psychology. There are individual differences in people's perception. Every painter sees a different world, so he paints differently. This theory can explain why there are differences in style, but it cannot explain why art has a clear and coherent history.
3.2. 1.2 technical theory of artistic change [technical theory of artistic change]
The progress of art is based on painting technology. The development of art depends on the development of reproduction skills, and new materials and technologies enable painters to describe real scenes more realistically. This theory can explain why art has a clear and coherent history, but it cannot explain why we can still appreciate ancient works of art and why modern art does not aim at realism.
3.2. 1.3 On "Seeing and Knowing" [Seeing and Knowing]
What we know is that we know what things actually look like. We know that a person has a nose, two eyes and a mouth. What we see is to describe what things look like from a specific angle. When we look at a person from the side, we can't always see two eyes at the same time.
Since ancient times, all artists have always made compromises and choices between what they know and what they see. Sometimes artists are not concerned with beauty, but with presenting all the elements as clearly and completely as possible. At this time, they are more like writing with images, and sometimes artists hope to faithfully grasp the perfect moment at a special moment and from a special angle.
Egyptians pay attention to what they know, while Greeks pay attention to what they see. In the Middle Ages, they went back to what they knew. In the Renaissance, impressionism went to what they saw, modernism appeared again, and the art they made went to what they knew, and went on and on. As T. S. Eliot's poem says: We should not stop exploring, and the destination of all our explorations will be to reach where we started and get to know this place for the first time.
To obtain pure visual art, it is necessary to restore the innocent eye polluted by knowledge.
Therefore, if painting is valuable even if it is practiced by people without talent, it is for Ruskin, because painting can teach us to see: pay attention correctly, not stare absently. In the process of re-creating with our own H and the things in front of us, we naturally move from a position of loosely observing beauty to a position where we gain a deep understanding of its parts. On the Importance of Painting —— The School of Life
Gombrich, who reformed the theory of "seeing and knowing", believes that what he sees and knows is more precisely thinking and perception. The interaction between theory and observation, as well as the correct representation of nature, are based on good visual and rational understanding. Mona Lisa uses visual skills such as perspective and dislocation of vision, but it makes use of people's rational understanding space in blurring corners of the mouth and eyes.
In-depth discussion needs to continue to study art and illusion and Leonardo da Vinci's painting theory.
Practice: Take out a blank piece of paper and draw an apple and a person or a hand. Taken together, people use different expressions, some of which are biased towards what they know and some are biased towards what they see.
3.2. 1.4 Simplified [art form] analysis framework: three-dimensional VS pattern.
Five pairs of concept analysis methods proposed by Woolflin;
-Line drawing and painting
-Plane and depth
-Close and open.
-Diversity and identity
-clarity and ambiguity
For example, Titian's Madonna, Saints and Members of the pesaro Family (Figure 2 10) has a closed, diverse and clear line drawing plane.
Titian,1519–1526, oil painting on canvas, 4.88m× 2.69m (16.0ft× 8.8ft), Venetian Santa Maria Gloriosa de Flary.
The coronation of the virgin, the infant and their saints by E.G. Rubens (fig. 256) is a deep, open, identical and hazy painting.
The virgin son sits with the saints, about1627-8; A sketch of a large altar painting; Oil on wood, 80.2x55.5cm (311/2x213/4 inches); Berlin art museum
Gombrich simplified Woolf's five pairs of concepts into one pair: three-dimensional and modular.
This pair of concepts is also associated with the contradiction between what is known and what is seen. The more an artist wants to faithfully describe what he sees, the more he needs to create spatial illusion and dramatic action. The more chaotic the picture is, the more difficult it will be to compose a composition, and the softer mixed tones will be needed at the expense of color. On the contrary, the closer an artist is to a known concept, the more he can arrange characters and shapes in a purely decorative way, the easier it is to get a sense of order and harmony, and the more he can use pure primary colors to obtain strong colors. It is an artist's eternal task to strike a balance between what he knows and what he sees, and between three-dimensional and pattern. This is the greatness of the Renaissance.
For example, Botticelli sacrificed the three-dimensional in the painting The Birth of Venus to get a clear outline.
[[Understand the sense of order through clear outlines and geometric shapes] Highlight people in the background/Gothic tradition Botticelli]
Where Borayolo failed, Botticelli succeeded; His paintings really form a perfect and harmonious pattern. However, Borayolo may say that Botticelli achieved this effect at the expense of some achievements he had worked so hard to maintain. Botticelli's characters don't look so three-dimensional, and they are not as accurate as those painted by Bolayuro or Ma Saqiao. The graceful movements and rhythmic lines in his composition remind people of the Gothic tradition of ghiberti and Friar Angelico, and may even be the art of 14th century, such as Notre Dame by Simone Martini (see page 2 13, figure 14 1) or the works of French goldsmiths (. Botticelli's Venus is so beautiful that we ignore that the length of her neck is unreasonable, her shoulders are cut straight, and the connection between her left arm and her torso is strange. Or, more appropriately, Botticelli changed the image of nature and enhanced the beauty and harmony in the design in order to achieve a beautiful outline, because it strengthened her appeal and made people feel that it was an infinitely feminine and beautiful figure, a gift floating from heaven to our seaside.
A story quoted from art
Another example is Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper:
[Know the sense of order with clear outline and geometric form, and highlight the people in the background]
Although the words of Christ aroused people's excitement, there was nothing messy in the picture. 12 The apostles seem to be naturally divided into four groups of images of trio and 1 group, which are linked by their postures and actions. There are so many sequences in the change, and there are so many changes in this sequence that people can never fully explore the harmonious function between the initial action and the echo action. If we recall the problems discussed by Borayolo in the narration of San Sebastian (see page 263, figure 17 1), we can't help but deeply appreciate Leonardo's great achievements in this work. We remember how artists of that generation tried to combine the requirements of realism with those of graphic design. We remember how blunt and artificial Borayolo's solution to this problem was in our opinion. Leonardo, a little younger than Borayolo, obviously solved this problem easily. If people don't think about what the scene is painted for a while, they can still enjoy the beautiful patterns made up of characters. The composition of this painting seems to have a relaxed and natural balance and harmony, which is the essence of Gothic painting and the essence that artists such as Rogier Van Wade Deng and Botticelli try to restore in their own way. However, Leonardo found that the outline was pleasing to the eye without sacrificing the correctness of sketch and observation.
A story quoted from art
However, we have to admit that the three-dimensional "The Last Supper" is reflected in the correct perspective of the dining table-window-window scenery, and the characters are distributed on the same plane, which actually reduces the difficulty of composition.
What you see-sensibility-art-three-dimensional-perspective and dramatic action-difficult composition-strong pure primary colors
Knowledge-[Concept]-Art-Pattern-Symbol-Decorative Composition Method/Composition Difficulty-Soft Mixed Tone
3.2.2 Criticize hegelianism in the field of art history, and use the method of situational logic to explain the evolution of style by analyzing [the artist's situation].
Hegel's tradition of historical philosophy: hegelianism means that in every era, everything is logically related, and they are the display of absolute spirit. All the concrete manifestations of an era, including philosophy, art, economy, social system, etc. , all have the same essence. If you dig deep enough, you can find the overall view of this era, a view that is extremely unified in every era.
Gombrich believes that the spirit of the times does not exist at all, which leads to intellectual laziness and academic autocracy. He talks about art without experience. Art has an evolutionary chain, but there is no need to admit that something in style drives it to develop automatically. Art is not the mouthpiece of the spirit of the times, and it is not necessary for artists to express the times as their moral responsibility.
Gombrich believes that style is not created by collective consciousness, but by someone, and the study of art should return to a more individualistic attitude. Inspired by karl popper's philosophy, Gombrich used "situational logic" instead of zeitgeist theory to discuss the change of style.
We can contact Soros's reflexive theory "Financial Alchemy" to systematically think about the fifth discipline.
What makes Gothic style so successful? Why does anyone want to imitate? Why are Gothic churches more attractive than Romanesque churches? These questions are not easy to answer, but some are still possible. For example, it caters to a new interest, and they satisfy people's desire for huge stained glass windows.
Not long ago, I wrote an article called Demand and Supply in the History of Style. In that article, I said that first someone needs something, and then another person finds the means to provide it. There is a kind of feedback everywhere, a kind of circular development.
Except Norway, there was no winter sports in19th century. Later, tourism developed. Around 1890, a man in Kitzbuhel ordered a set of veneer ski equipment from Norway and began to practice. People find it interesting, and then there is a great demand, and the form of winter sports has completely changed.
Gothic churches are not the embodiment of the spirit of the times. There were architectural drawings at that time, and masons needed to learn the latest architectural drawings. A master's apprentice may go to another town to build another Gothic church.
Situational logic can help us understand the artist's creative intention and artistic goal (that is, the artist's situation), so it can help us analyze the change of style. Artists want to succeed and impress people. Therefore, artists always face problems. They want to be different, but they also want to be accepted They must consider how to make a difference.
"Every work of art has an impact on the contemporary era, not only what is done in the work, but also what is not done. Tradition has left achievements and unsolved problems, and artists want to solve these problems. For example, when people criticize early art for not being realistic enough, the problem of perspective arises at the historic moment.
Perspective problem is an excellent example of analyzing style change by using situational logic method. Medieval painters didn't understand perspective, but perspective allowed them to distribute images on the screen at will to form perfect patterns. Florence artists may have an impulse to win when they discover perspective, thinking that they have solved all the difficulties and made painting a big step forward, but in fact, as long as one aspect is discovered, new difficulties will appear elsewhere. The artist's new ability destroyed his most precious talent and prevented him from creating a lovely and comfortable unity. The problem of composition is particularly serious in the theme of huge altar painting, because it is necessary to take care of the architectural structure of the church and clearly convey Christian teachings at the same time. Antonio Polello (1432? -1498) tried to solve this problem when creating the painting of the altar of San Sebastian's martyrdom, which not only ensured the accuracy of the sketch, but also had a harmonious composition, but the final effect was a bit stiff and embarrassing. Italian art reached its peak in the later generation because it solved this problem.
The Must-Tell Story: "Scholars are the protectors of memory. Personally, I don't want to live or work in a system that erases all the memories of the past. Every society has its "must-read stories". In a society with declining knowledge, myths will breed.
Gombrich believes that there are competitions in art, heroes are remembered by people, and their achievements become legends and even legends: the courage of Achilles, the wit of Ulysses and the skill of Daedalus. Everyone can experience their own degree of Excellence through imagination, which is superhuman and only one step away from what Nietzsche called Apollo. From the anthropological point of view, past masters are a bit like [cultural heroes], whose art has been handed down as a challenge to future generations. If we think that Old Master Q is out of date, it will be our own loss. Because they are great not because they are famous, but because they are great. Their greatness constitutes a part of situational logic, without which history would be in chaos. The Story of Art tells the story of art along two lines-the artist's situation and the form of artistic works.
3.2.3 Narrative Mode of Music Art History
Empathy: Gombrich likes to borrow works that we are already familiar with to discuss another work, as well as the artist's creative intention and artistic goals. Guide readers to visualize how a person who has never seen Da Vinci's works but only seen his predecessors' paintings will view Da Vinci's artistic achievements by empathy, thus forming a tension between expectation and accident and generating a sense of surprise.
Musical structure arrangement: the plot of the book is full of musicality, on the one hand, it is the expected order (theme or motif), on the other hand, it is the unfolding part (tone sandhi and deviation). This expected framework enables readers to have an experience of listening to music while watching the artistic style.
We can even impose a symphony structure on the past. Classical symphonies have themes or motifs, development, complex changes and tone sandhi. These people can find analogies and metaphors in art history, and we can regard art history as a large symphony. I think this is a very useful metaphor, but that's all, because the relationship between procedure and discovery in music and art is different.
Importance of art history: Without an expected framework, we can't understand the artistic goals and achievements of a work of art in the chain of art history. Art history provides such a framework. Without this framework, although we can appreciate the works and even revel in them, we can't appreciate their true essence.
Art history is of little value to artists' creation, but it plays an important role in improving their critical ability. Philosophers are explaining the world, but the problem is to change it. Most people not only believe that all great art will always be opposed, but also believe that anything that is opposed can become great art ... Gombrich believes that with a small amount of artistic knowledge, it is easy to destroy this concept. For teenagers, the rebellious mood in adolescence is likely to lead to a total denial of traditional art. The cultivation of art history can provide an objective and fair evaluation system so that classic works will not be underestimated and ignored.
3.2.4 Values of Religion, Art and Tradition
Religious spirit: "I have some respect for religion because it inspires great art. When I don't believe in the existence of any traditional God, I don't belong to any religious faction. I watched the operation of the universe and nature, experienced awe and produced a mysterious feeling about everything, but this did not make me believe that an old man with silver hair dominated our lives. "
The value of art: "I can simply say that I am fighting for the traditional civilization of Western Europe. I know that there are many terrible things in western European civilization, and I know them very well. But I think art historians are the spokesmen of our civilization, and we want to know more about our artistic essence. It's our responsibility to remember the essence, but it's not just that. I have criticized those who say that we escape from reality. If we can't escape to great art for comfort, life will be unbearable. People should sympathize with those who are divorced from the legacy of the past. People should be grateful for being able to listen to Mozart's music and appreciate velazquez's paintings, and pity those who can't. " (Art and Science)
Traditional values: "Futurists ... they want to destroy museums and the legacy of the past with atomic bombs. The Manifesto of Futurist Painters was written in 19 10. This attitude may have led to fascism. I don't care about its political aspects here. I'm afraid that none of the people who signed this declaration grew up to be a great artist. Creative artists have never proved that they even feel the need to fight for food. In the past, all artistic interests were evil. " Why is there an art history? “Sakel。