Page 17 - Darla Farner : Vibrant Abstrac

In our modem times, not only a philosophical, but even a aesthetics, in this way bringing out the difficult relationship
psychological approach is absolutely inevitable to aim at the of an artist’s style of life in the modem world. It could be a
definition and classification of the artistic phenomenology and significant contribution to art (and its history) in order to give
at the identification of their values. When considering a work it the strength to be “the soul of the world and the intelligence
of art we should identify the connections, the interdisciplinary to be the meaning of reality”.
requests between it and the thought of that particular historical A science like iconology rightly aims, in a transverse way, to
moment, but not only that, as it is possible to contribute to the understand and consolidate the connections that exist among
enlightenment of either a pictorial or literary work by comparing the various disciplines. In this way it contributes to keeping
authors of different periods and belonging to trends, as T.S. Eliot art in a position of privilege. As Erwin Panofsky pointed out,
established in his essays of poetic criticism. The re-visitation of iconology is the study of the purpose that belongs to images and
these disciplines, the following attempt of reconciliation, can to the selected subject in their artistic representation. Therefore
certainly give raise to origin new elaborations in order to stem we can consider this discipline the study of the historical, social,
the intellectual waste of the present, probably due just to the religious, philosophical, and cultural content, of which subjects
frantic pursuit of success. and images are direct expression, even if sometimes unrelated
The contribution of art criticism should awake an incentive to the one who has used those subjects. The role of iconology
to art itself, should be a reason for a new vital sap especially in is, in a certain way, lined up with the iconographic method
a historical time such as this one, when men witness powerless of Aby Warburg who studies the programmatic, literary and
the ’Faustian’ devastation of nature, and the decadency of post- learned aspects of works of art in “contraposition” with formal
industrial society. analysis. It is related to the theory of ’symbolic forms’: it is
Art can not absolutely be passive towards these problems. an analysis which goes beyond the explicit meanings of works
The methodologies of a critical study and research for a correct of art, beyond their ultimate and essential content, identifying
understanding should be deeply involved in the analysis about those fundamental principles which reveal the basic line of
the connection among art, nature, reality and anthropology in a nation, a period, social class, a religious or philosophical
order to further examine the considerations on philosophical concept, unconsciously qualified by a personality or abridged

MeaDow lanD 2004 MixeD MeDia 55x75 cM. / 22x30 in. iRiSH SPRinG 2000 MixeD MeDia 55x75 cM. / 22x30 in

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