Formalist art history is an approach to the study of art that focuses on formal elements and their relationships. This means that it looks at the form, or shape, of the artwork, as well as how it is composed and arranged.
It also looks at the materials used in creating the artwork, such as paint or clay. The formalist approach is often used to analyze and explain historical works of art, as well as contemporary art.
The formalist approach to studying art has its roots in the work of 18th-century philosopher Immanuel Kant, who emphasized the importance of form over content in aesthetic judgments. This idea was further developed in the 19th century by French artist Eugene Delacroix, who wrote about how form should be seen as separate from content in a work of art. The formalist approach became popular in the early 20th-century with modernists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian who were looking for ways to express their ideas without using traditional subject matter or representational images.
Formalism is based on the idea that works of art can be studied without reference to their historical context or external meanings. It emphasizes close observation of an artwork’s physical qualities such as its line, color, texture, scale, shape and composition.
Formal analysis can help us understand how an artist has chosen to arrange these elements to create a particular effect or meaning. It can also help us see how different artistic styles have evolved over time by looking at changes in the use of form and composition from one era to another.
Formalist analysis can also be used to compare works from different cultures and time periods by focusing on shared qualities such as color or composition rather than differences in their subject matter or meaning. In this way, formalism allows us to explore similarities between artists from different backgrounds which may not be apparent when studying them through more traditional methods such as iconography or symbolism.
In conclusion, Formalist art history is an important tool for understanding works of art by focusing on form rather than content. By breaking down an artwork into its component parts we can gain insight into how it was created and what it might mean beyond its surface appearance. Formalism allows us to study works across cultures and eras by emphasizing how they share similar forms rather than emphasizing their differences.
What Is Formalist Art History?
Formalist Art History is an approach to studying artworks that focuses on examining the formal elements which make up a piece – such as line, color, texture – as well as considering composition and arrangement within an artwork’s structure. This approach has been developed since Immanuel Kant’s 18th century writings about aesthetics which emphasised form over content when making aesthetic judgements about a work of art; this has been developed further by modernists like Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian allowing for more abstract expressions of ideas through visual language rather than solely relying upon representational images alone. Formalist Art History enables comparisons between works from different cultures and time periods by highlighting similarities between them which may not have otherwise been obvious when studied through more traditional methods such as iconography or symbolism; thus providing new insights about what these works may mean beyond their surface appearance..