Research On Panowski's "Pandora's Box"

Erwin Panofsky(1892–1968),a German-American art historian,systematically explained his comprehensive interpretation method of Iconology in Studies in Iconology: Humanistic Themes in the Art of the Renaissance(1939).Panofsky and his wife Dora(1885–1965)coauthored a volume on the history and influence of the motif of Pandora's box in the monograph Pandora's Box: The Changing Aspects of a Mythical Symbol(1956).The myth becomes an instance of that phenomenon which Professor Panofsky has so brilliantly explored in the past: the continued creativity of mythological invention after the official demise of paganism.Firstly,this thesis analyzes Aby Warburg(1866–1929),as the pioneer of Iconology,had a remarkable influence on Panofsky's academic approaches and methods.Then,it goes on to elaborate Panofsky's unique style which had been influenced by both the German academic tradition and the English academic tradition.And,taking Pandora's Box for example to discuss the representations of Pandora's box in classical times and mediaeval time,especially the Northern Renaissance.Finally,at the end of the thesis,the principle of disjunction embodied in Pandora's Box and the influence of positivism have been focused on.