This article reassesses Alois Riegl’s theoretical legacy through his Historische Grammatik der bildenden Künste and Spätrömische Kunstindustrie. Far from a formalist, Riegl developed a vision of art history rooted in shifting worldviews (Weltanschauungen), framing style as an expression of humanity’s relation to nature. He outlined three major epochs – Antiquity, Middle Ages, Modernity – each defined by distinct spiritual orientations. By linking form to worldview, he laid the conceptual groundwork for what later became known as Kunstgeschichte als Geistesgeschichte. While Max Dvořák expanded this model in the 1910s, the article argues that Riegl was its true progenitor, embedding intellectual history within art history decades earlier. His synthesis of formal rigour and humanistic breadth remains a crucial reference point for the discipline today.
Alois Riegl and the Origins of 'Kunstgeschichte als Geistesgeschichte': Reconsidering Neo-Idealism in Viennese Art History
Sabrina Raphaela Buebl
2025
Abstract
This article reassesses Alois Riegl’s theoretical legacy through his Historische Grammatik der bildenden Künste and Spätrömische Kunstindustrie. Far from a formalist, Riegl developed a vision of art history rooted in shifting worldviews (Weltanschauungen), framing style as an expression of humanity’s relation to nature. He outlined three major epochs – Antiquity, Middle Ages, Modernity – each defined by distinct spiritual orientations. By linking form to worldview, he laid the conceptual groundwork for what later became known as Kunstgeschichte als Geistesgeschichte. While Max Dvořák expanded this model in the 1910s, the article argues that Riegl was its true progenitor, embedding intellectual history within art history decades earlier. His synthesis of formal rigour and humanistic breadth remains a crucial reference point for the discipline today.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
