Leonie Gombrich Volgorde van de boeken (chronologisch)

This book is a classical study of image-making, which seeks the answer to an apparently simple but fundamental question : why is there such a thing as style?

The book explores the historical phenomenon where older, 'primitive' artworks are often viewed as morally and aesthetically superior to more contemporary, perceived 'decadent' pieces. It delves into the shifting tastes in visual arts, examining how cultural perceptions influence the value placed on different artistic styles over time. As the last work by the author, it offers a profound analysis of the complexities surrounding artistic appreciation and the biases that shape our understanding of art history.

In this second volume of his classic essays on the Renaissance, E H Gombrich focuses on a theme of central importance: visual symbolism. He opens with a searching introduction ('The Aims and Limits of Iconology'), and follows with detailed studies of Botticelli, Mantegna, Raphael, Poussin and others. The volume concludes with an extended study of the philosophies of symbolism, demonstrating that the ideas which preoccupied the philosophers of the Renaissance are still very much alive today.Like its predecessor, Norm and Form, this volume is indispensable for all students of Renaissance art and thought as a work that has itself helped to shape the evolving discipline of art history. Reflecting the author's abiding concern with standards, values and problems of method, it also has a wider interest as an introduction to the fundamental questions involved in the interpretation of images.

Volume 1 in Gombrich's influential series of essays on the Renaissance.