Study Of The History Of Western Art Historical Consciousness

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the consciousness of history in the study of western art history. The art history principally consists of two interrelated aspects: "art" and "history". On the one hand, it needs to appreciate and study the single work of art; on the other hand, it is an arrangement of all works of art. These two aspects are controlled by art historians' consciousness of history that is the acquaintance and belief to derivation, intention, and the development of sequence and direction of art history. The consciousness of history is contained in tradition. The research about art history is a dialogue between art historians and the tradition, touched on the problem how to deal with the tradition. By arranging the transformation of consciousness of history in the writing of art history, especially comparing the differences of conception and ways of writing between the "New Art History" which appeared in 1980s and the Traditional Art History, the author hope to do some work for the building of Chinese art history subject. This thesis comprehensively consists of two parts: In the first chapter, it is to discuss the transformation of consciousness of history of four scholars -Vasari, Hegel, Gombrich and Bryson, which is from three perspectives-the characteristics of their ways of writing, ways of appreciating pictures and the given comments. These four men are not only the distinction of time, but also their theories' inherent logical relationship of succession or negation. Vasari, Hegel and Gombrich belong to the category of Traditional Art History, and Bryson is one of the representatives of New Art History. Gombrich considered that Vasari's views of organic development was a classical, instrumental idea of progress. And Hegfel's historicism was deemed to rule historical facts with logic, which embodied the course of evolution of spirit. Gombrich claimed to use "situational logic" to supersede it. However, as a post-modernist, Bryson believed that no matter how great the distinction of the content and methodology of their theories between Gombrich and Vasari, their standpoint on the development of art is alike. They all recounted the development of art history to the course of "foreperson seed, step person harvest".