In this beautiful meditation on the history of art and the problem of style, Henri Focillon (1881-1943) describes how art forms change over time. Although he argues that the development of art is reducible to external political, social, or economic determinants, one of his great achievements was to lodge a concept of autonomous and organic artistic creation within the shifting domain of materials and techniques. Focillon emphasizes the universal presence of contradictory tendencies that give all styles manifold, stratified character.The Life of Forms remains one of the most brilliant and important applications of biological metaphors to the study of art. It has been superbly translated by Yale art historian George Kubler, whose book The Shape of Time was strongly influenced by Focillon.
FREE Two-Day Shipping for students on millions of items. Learn more |
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Special Offers and Product Promotions
- Buy $50 in qualifying physical textbooks, get $5 in Amazon MP3 Credit. Here's how (restrictions apply)
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Original Language: French --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful,
This review is from: The Life of Forms in Art (Paperback)
Although I ultimately disagree with most of this book, I would neverthless wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody trying to think through the issue of form in art. What is form? How do forms evolve? What is the relationship between forms and space/ time? In particular this book begins from the curious problem of how, while individual artists do not conceive of their work as a develpment of existing forms, nevertheless, viewed historically, forms do seem to have their own life, their own temporality. How do we account for this. Focillon's prose is limpid and occasionally poetic, in an almost Proustian way. I loved reading this book.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indispensable for understanding relationships in art.,
This review is from: The Life of Forms in Art (Paperback)
This book is indispensable to anyone who wants to understand art and begin to comprehend its inevitable intricacies. It is an agreeable blend of art, its history and philosophy. The author explains his positions in crystal clear form and shows many of the myriad relationships among form itself and imagery. He almost always writes well-informed by an understanding of techniques and materials. The English edition requires more concentration than the French version which is eloquent.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Influential but tedious,
By thomas.wiesner@yale.edu (New Haven, Conn.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Life of Forms in Art (Hardcover)
One of the most influential books in art history, The Life of Forms in Art is nonetheless horribly tedious. It was originally written in French, which is reportedly much more lucid. However, if your background in art historical study is strong, it is imperative that you understand Focillon's thesis. But I must tell you, I am a first year undergraduate at Yale, and I had to read it three times before some degree of understanding crept in; my graduate student TA read it twice! Enjoy!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
Whenever we attempt to interpret a work of art, we are at once confronted with problems that are as perplexing as they are contradictory. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Whenever we attempt to interpret a work of art, we are at once confronted with problems that are as perplexing as they are contradictory. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
52
books
cite this book:
See all 52 books citing this book
- Atlas of Novel Tectonics by Jesse Reiser on 4 pages
- Peasant Scenes and Landscapes: The Rise of Pictorial Genres in the Antwerp Art Market by Larry Silver in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Forms in Modernism: The Unity of Typography, Architecture and the Design Arts 1920s-1970s by Virginia Smith on page 90, page 103, and page 149
- Phantasmagoria: Spirit Visions, Metaphors, and Media into the Twenty-first Century by Marina Warner in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Nature of Ornament: Rhythm and Metamorphosis in Architecture (Norton Books for Architects & Designers) by Kent Bloomer on page 27, and Back Matter
See all 52 books citing this book
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
