Refractions – serie

This is the first English translation of Gombrich: una teoría del arte, by Joaquín Lorda, originally published in 1991. Lorda was considered to be one of Gombrich’s best students and this book presents an extensive, expansive and holistic analysis of Gombrich''s thought. It is structured around a set of key ideas and themes: Science, Joke, Play and Rhetoric. Lorda provides in-depth analysis of Gombrich''s engagement with figures such as Huizinga, Freud, Hegel, and Popper. While there has been extensive secondary literature on Gombrich, this is the first book to provide a systematic analysis of his ideas and theoretical frameworks, taking into account the entirety of his writings. This major work of scholarship sheds new light on Gombrich as a thinker and turns Gombrich’s ideas into a workable theory of art that can be used as an instrument to examine both the history of art and architecture and its current practice.

This is the first English translation of Gombrich: una teoría del arte, by Joaquín Lorda, originally published in 1991. Lorda was considered to be one of Gombrich’s best students and this book presents an extensive, expansive and holistic analysis of Gombrich''s thought. It is structured around a set of key ideas and themes: Science, Joke, Play and Rhetoric. Lorda provides in-depth analysis of Gombrich''s engagement with figures such as Huizinga, Freud, Hegel, and Popper. While there has been extensive secondary literature on Gombrich, this is the first book to provide a systematic analysis of his ideas and theoretical frameworks, taking into account the entirety of his writings. This major work of scholarship sheds new light on Gombrich as a thinker and turns Gombrich’s ideas into a workable theory of art that can be used as an instrument to examine both the history of art and architecture and its current practice.

Charlotte de Mille shows that the reception of the philosophy of Henri Bergson by British artists and critics was far more wide spread and of far greater importance in the UK than has been previously thought. Based on archival material in Paris and the US, not all previously accessed, along with primary UK sources, she opens new avenues of research and interpretation on the work of artists Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, John Duncan Fergusson and artist-writers Roger Fry and Wyndham Lewis.De Mille demonstrates the profound impact of Bergson’s work in UK culture immediately prior to World War One. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates philosophy, art criticism and art history. An Epilogue considers the proximity of Bergson’s thought on temporality, perception, intuition and subjectivity to art history, from Alois Riegl and Aby Warburg, to practitioners today.

Charlotte de Mille shows that the reception of the philosophy of Henri Bergson by British artists and critics was far more wide spread and of far greater importance in the UK than has been previously thought. Based on archival material in Paris and the US, not all previously accessed, along with primary UK sources, she opens new avenues of research and interpretation on the work of artists Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, John Duncan Fergusson and artist-writers Roger Fry and Wyndham Lewis.De Mille demonstrates the profound impact of Bergson’s work in UK culture immediately prior to World War One. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates philosophy, art criticism and art history. An Epilogue considers the proximity of Bergson’s thought on temporality, perception, intuition and subjectivity to art history, from Alois Riegl and Aby Warburg, to practitioners today.