The Preference for the Primitive: Episodes in the History of Western Taste and Art - Hardcover

Gombrich, Leonie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0714841544 ISBN 13: 9780714841540

Publisher: Phaidon Press, 2002

Synopsis

This long-awaited book is a study of a recurring phenomenon in the history of Western art, namely the feeling that older and less sophisticated (i.e. 'primitive') works of art are somehow superior to later and more refined ones. In a closely argued and richly documented narrative Professor Gombrich traces the history of the debates on this subject from classical antiquity to the radical primitivism of modern times, attempting at the same time to provide a psychological explanation of the phenomenon.

This book is a documentary study of a recurring phenomenon in the history of changing taste in the visual arts, namely the feeling that older and less sophisticated (i.e. 'primitive') works are somehow morally and aesthetically superior to later works that have become refined, soft and decadent. Gombrich traces the existence of such feelings right back to classical antiquity, and he links them with a crucial psychological observation made by Cicero to the effect that over-indulgence of the senses leads to a feeling of disgust. He also demonstrates the importance of the profoundly influential metaphor, first articulated in antiquity and taken over by Vasari, that compares the history of art to the growth of an organism: like a living organism, art is born and grows to maturity (and therefore perfection), then decays and finally dies. Successive generations of artists and critics, believing the art of their own time to be past maturity, have interpreted the smooth refinement and sensual appeal of contemporary works as symptoms of decline and corruption, and have come to admire earlier works, despite their 'immaturity', as possessing superior qualities of sincerity, innocence and ruggedstrength. With the advent of modernism at the turn of the twentieth century this admiration took a radically regressive new twist as artists turned their backs on tradition altogether and found inspiration in the art of exotic cultures and in the works of children and the insane.

Summing up more than forty years of study and reflection, the book presents a closely argued narrative supported by extensive quotation of key passages that document with precision the role of authors, critics and artists in shaping and changing opinion. After reviewing the classical authors whose writings largely set the terms of the debate, Gombrich then charts its progress from its revival in the eighteenth century, documenting the often subtle shifts of taste and judgement that frequently focus on the pivotal role of Raphael as a touchstone in the history of taste. In the final chapters he turns to the truly revolutionary primitivism of the twentieth century, to much of which he has himself been an eyewitness.

Important both as a personal testament and as a documentary anthology, this long-awaited new book from one of the world's most distinguished art historians provides a deep and revealing insight into the history and psychology of taste.

About this title

About the Author:

Sir Ernst Gombrich was one of the greatest and least conventional art historians of his age, achieving fame and distinction in three separate spheres: as a scholar, as a popularizer of art, and as a pioneer of the application of the psychology of perception to the study of art. His best-known book, The Story of Art - first published 50 years ago and now in its sixteenth edition - is one of the most influential books ever written about art. His books further include The Sense of Order and Art & Illusion, as well as a total of 11 volumes of collected essays and reviews. Gombrich was born in Vienna in 1909 and died in London in November 2001. He came to London in 1936 to work at the Warburg Institute, where he eventually became Director from 1959 until his retirement in 1976. He won numerous international honours, including a knighthood, the Order of Merit and the Goethe, Hegel and Erasmus prizes. Gifted with a powerful mind and prodigious memory, he was also an outstanding communicator, with a clear and forceful prose style. His works are models of good art-historical writing, and reflect his humanism and his deep and abiding concern with the standards and values of our cultural heritage.

Review:

'The great strength of this book is its historical sweep ... of interest to specialists and general readers alike.' (Colin Rhodes, Loughborough University, The Burlington Magazine) 'A masterpiece of skilful discourse.' (Nigel Spivey, The Daily Telegraph) 'Gombrich is as usual masterly and vastly erudite.' (Martin Gayford, The Sunday Telegraph) 'Gombrich brings his massive learning to bear on a very interesting set of questions.' (The Spectator) 'Gombrich remains a giant of art history who tried to demystify the processes by which art is made. If Winckelmann yearned for 'noble simplicity' in art, and if Wackenroder preached 'pious simplicity', then Gombrich can be regarded as the High Priest of 'rational simplicity'.' (James Hall, Times Literary Supplement) 'Throughout, Gombrich's account is supported by his easy familiarity with the writings of philosophers and aestheticians, of anthropologists and psychologists, but in the end what gives his approach such a rich tension is the fact that he remained fundamentally and unfashionably committed to the idea that an increase in mimetic skill represented a form of progress, and that the term primitive did not need to be hedged about with guilt-wracked inverted commas.' (Apollo) 'Has there been an individual who could match Gombrich's gargantuan grasp of classical sources, the sheer scope of his reading? No ... The Preference for the Primitive ... is lively and can be assimilated by artists, art historians and general readers alike.' (Modern Painters) 'The book is a remarkable one, demonstrating in full measure Gombrich's extraordinary erudition ... acts as a convenient summary of many of the themes and issues to which he devoted a long and exceptionally distinguished career.' (Charles Saumarez Smith, Director, National Gallery, London, Literary Review) 'Take(s) on just about the weightiest and most controversial subject currently available for art-historical picking-over. For Gombrich to delay until his final book before taking on the appetite for perfectionism is akin to Michelangelo waiting until he was 92 before embarking upon the Sistine ceiling.' (Waldemar Januszczak, The Sunday Times) 'The Preference for the Primitive deserves a place within any art library, completing the life's work of an important twentieth century writer.' (Art Documentation) 'Gombrich narrates these enchanting chapters in the history of taste with his usual clarity and ear for the eloquent quotation.' (The New Republic) 'Over the last half century we have come to expect from Gombrich work of extensive and detailed scholarship, nuanced, balanced, and rich in insight. This, his final work, upholds the standard he set ... This work is a final treasure for all interested in art and the history of ideas.' (Religious Studies Review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Phaidon Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0714841544
• ISBN 13: 9780714841540
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 324