Erwin Panofsky | |
|---|---|
 Panofsky in the 1920s | |
| Born | (1892-03-30)March 30, 1892 Hannover, German Empire |
| Died | March 14, 1968(1968-03-14) (aged 75) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingPief |
Erwin Panofsky (March 30, 1892 – March 14, 1968)[1] was a German-Jewishart historian whose work represents a high point in the modern academic study oficonography, including his hugely influentialRenaissance and Renascences in Western Art and his seminalEarly Netherlandish Painting.[2]
Panofsky's ideas were highly influential in intellectual history in general,[3] particularly in his use of historical ideas to interpret artworks and vice versa. Many of his books are still in print, includingStudies in Iconology: Humanist Themes in the Art of the Renaissance (1939),Meaning in the Visual Arts (1955), and his 1943 studyThe Life and Art ofAlbrecht Dürer. His academic career was pursued mostly in the U.S. after the rise of theNazi regime.
Panofsky was born on 30 March 1892 inHanover.[4] His parents, Arnold and Caecilie (Solling) Panofsky, were arentier mining family fromUpper Silesia.[5] Panofsky's cultured Jewish family played a significant role in shaping his career as an art historian. He was immersed in an environment that valued education and cultural refinement from a young age, and was exposed to classical music and literature such asDante'sDivine Comedy,Shakespeare’s sonnets and the works ofJohann Wolfgang von Goethe andGotthold Ephraim Lessing. He did not observeJewish religious customs as an adult, but he remained proud of his heritage, sharing stories of his grandfather, a renownedTalmud scholar.[6]
He received hisAbitur in 1910 at theJoachimsthal Gymnasium.[7] These years were particularly influential, as he believed thehumanistic education he received there was fundamental to his scholarly achievements.[6] He enteredBerlin University as a law student.[8] During his first semester, he attended a lecture byWilhelm Vöge onAlbrecht Dürer and discovered an interest inart history.[9]
During his studies, he attended courses by the art historiansHeinrich Wölfflin,Edmund Hildebrandt,Karl Voll,Carl Frey,Werner Weisbach andAdolph Goldschmidt.[10] When he was 19, he joined a competition held by the Grimm Foundation and won an award from it.[8] The subject had been set by Wölfflin and Goldschmidt, who assessed the work submitted. Panofsky's essay was entitledDürer's Theory of Art, Primarily as it Relates to Italian Theory. A part of the paper was submitted as his doctoral dissertation at theUniversity of Freiburg.[10] The dissertation was published in 1915 asDie theoretische Kunstlehre Albrecht Dürers (Dürer's Art Theory).[11] After a riding accident, Panofsky was exempted from military service duringWorld War I. In the spring of 1917, he was considered fit for duty on thehome front and was assigned government positions inKassel and thenBerlin, where he was responsible for distributingcoal to civilians. He wasdemobilized in January 1919.[12]
In December 1918, while working in Berlin, Panofsky applied forhabilitation at theUniversity of Heidelberg, proposing to submit either his 1915 expandedDürers Kunsttheorie vornehmlich in ihrem Verhältnis zur Kunsttheorie der Italiener orDer Westbau des Doms zu Minden.[12][13] He withdrew the application in March 1919 due to unexplained circumstances. By August 1919, he shifted focus to theUniversity of Tübingen but never finalized the thesis. FollowingGustav Pauli's invitation in December 1919 to teach art history at theUniversity of Hamburg, Panofsky agreed on the condition of simultaneously pursuing habilitation. By March 11, 1920, he formally submitted the completed first section of his study on Michelangelo’s stylistic development to the university’s Faculty of Philosophy and later, he will complete the second part at the end of the year. Pauli, reviewing the thesis by March 20, privately advised Panofsky to secure housing inHamburg, anticipating a favorable outcome. Despite Panofsky’s concerns over a three-month administrative silence, the evaluation process advanced: Pauli submitted his endorsement to the habilitation committee on May 10, 1920, and by June 3, committee membersMax Lenz,Ernst Cassirer andOtto Lauffer had unanimously approved the application. The Faculty of Philosophy ratified the decision on June 19, scheduling Panofsky'sProbevorlesung[de] (″trial lecture″) for July 3, 1920. TitledDie Entwicklung der Proportionslehre als Abbild der Stilentwicklung,[14] the lecture successfully concluded his habilitation, granting him thevenia legendi and securing his position at Hamburg.[12]During this period, one of his early works wasIdea: Ein Beitrag zur Begriffsgeschichte der älteren Kunstheorie (1924; translated into English asIdea: A Concept in Art Theory),[15] based on the ideas ofErnst Cassirer.[16]
However, shortly after his successful habilitation in July 1920, the manuscript vanished under unclear circumstances. Though on July 3, 1920, based on letter toDora Panofsky, his wife at that time revealed plans to revise the text suggesting the work was still in his possession. Yet, by 1964, when Egon Verheyen inquired about the thesis after encountering its citation in an article by Gert van der Osten, Panofsky confirmed its loss, stating, “The original manuscript is lost”.[12] It is assumed that the manuscript was lost after he moved his remaining belongings from Germany in 1943/44. Gerda Panofsky was unable to locate it, possibly becauseLudwig Heinrich Heydenreich, who had studied under Panofsky, was in possession of the manuscript from 1946 to 1970, and brought it toZentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte, where the manuscript was found in its basement.[17] In theSüddeutsche Zeitung,Willibald Sauerländer shed some light on the question of whether Heydenreich shared his recovery of the manuscript or not: "Panofsky has historically distanced himself from his early writings on Michelangelo, as he tired of the subject, and," according to Sauerländer "developed a professional conflict with Austro-Hungarian art historianJohannes Wilde, who accused Panofsky of not crediting him with ideas gleaned from a conversation they had about Michelangelo drawings. Perhaps Panofsky didn't care about the whereabouts of his lost work and Heydenreich was not malicious in keeping it a secret ... but questions still remain."[18] Then, the original 1920 manuscript of Panofsky'sHabilitationsschrift, his second dissertation, which is titledDie Gestaltungsprinzipien Michelangelos, besonders in ihrem Verhältnis zu denen Raffaels ("The Composition Principles ofMichelangelo, particularly in their relation to those ofRaphael"), was found in August 2012 by art historian Stephan Klingen.[17][19] The manuscript is published as book on 2014 with Gerda as the editor.[20]
Panofsky has already expressed interest in visiting America as early as 1929 on his correspondence withFritz Saxl, and in 1930, he was invited byNew York University (NYU) to serve as a Visiting Professor by recommendation from Goldschmidt . At that time, NYU's College of Fine Arts, which would later become theInstitute of Fine Arts, was in the process of establishing America's first graduate department for art-historical research. By his participation, he helpedRichard Offner andWalter William Spencer Cook to shape the department. Then, Panofsky was scheduled to teach during the Fall term of 1931-32, offering graduate-level courses along with a series of public lectures, all delivered in English.[21]
During this first visit, Panofsky immersed himself in the scholarly environment of theEast Coast, strengthening and expanding his American connections. He reconnected withPaul Sachs at Harvard delivering a lecture at theFogg Museum. Panofsky had previously met Sachs in 1927 when Sachs visited Hamburg to inspectAby Warburg’s Institute. He also visitedCharles Rufus Morey,Alfred Barr,William J. Ivins and was introduced byEdward Warburg to a wealthy New York elite. Panofsky usually gave lectures at weekly salons hosted byJosephine Porter Boardman Crane which acquainted him with prominent figures such as theRockefellers and theStraus family ofMacy’s Department Store. This network will be beneficial when he later lost his position in Hamburg.[21]
Following the success of his initial visit, Panofsky was considered for a return to the College of Fine Arts at NYU the following year. He managed to secure two additional twelve-week lecture courses for the spring of 1933 at theMetropolitan Museum of Art. Upon his return to America, Panofsky worked as an itinerant art historian, delivering lectures across the East Coast. WithAdolf Hitler's appointment as Chancellor shortly after his arrival in New York, Panofsky expressed toMargaret Scolari Barr his relief at being in America, rather than witnessing the unfolding political crisis in Germany.[22]
Although initially allowed to spend alternate terms in Hamburg and New York City, Panofsky’s appointment in Hamburg was terminated in 1933 after theNazis came to power.[23] This dismissal was due to his Jewish background.[24] Panofsky faced limited employment opportunities outside of Germany, and the College of Fine Arts, due to a lack of funds, had not planned to invite him back after his spring lectureship. Cook could only offer Panofsky a single lecture course for the following year. With no immediate job prospects in America, Panofsky returned to his family in Hamburg, where conditions remained relatively safe at the time. Without teaching duties, he concentrated on his research and traveled to Belgium and France, including a visit toHenri Focillon, to explore future employment possibilities. Panofsky returned to New York in January 1934 to fulfill a temporary commitment to Cook and NYU, while Dora and their two young sons stayed in Hamburg.[25]
Overwhelmed by his teaching and administrative duties at NYU, Panofsky lamented the lack of time for his own research and the prioritization of monetary concerns over scholarly pursuits. He expressed frustration to Margaret Barr about his extensive workload, including organizing syllabi, correcting test papers, and conducting numerous lectures and consultations. Although he appreciated Walter Cook's efforts in securing his position, he was critical of Cook's scholarly status and uncomfortable relying on financial support from New York's high society. Panofsky's dissatisfaction was further highlighted in a letter toGertrud Bing, where he criticized the use of his seminar for NYU's publicity without his consent. Panofsky's first choice after 1933 was not to settle in America but to secure a position with the Warburg Library inLondon, which was central to his humanistic scholarship. Despite his efforts, those involved with the Library decided to help more disadvantaged exiled scholars.[26]
His early visits were financially motivated, as his NYU salary sustained his family’s rent in Hamburg—a fact he disclosed toWalter Friedländer. In a letter to Margaret Barr, he criticized American life as culturally “sterile” and critiqued U.S. academia: while he praised some Princeton graduate students, he derided NYU students as “stupid and ignorant.” During his 1934 return to NYU, his lectures were simplified for a paying public audience, leaving him feeling like a “workhorse.”[27] NYU andPrinceton University collaborated to provide him with paid work for two years. Cook secure a two-year Visiting Professorship for Panofsky at NYU in the fall of 1934 with a salary of $6000, while Morey arranged housing and schooling for Panofsky's family in Princeton in exchange for his teaching in the Department of Art and Archaeology. By this point, Panofsky had resolved never to return to Germany and was committed to establishing a permanent life in the United States.[28]He finally secured a permanent position at theInstitute for Advanced Study (IAS) in April 1935. The IAS, founded by Abraham Flexner in 1930, was unique in its mission to emphasize research and advanced teaching without the burden of administrative duties or introductory teaching responsibilities, which aligned with Panofsky's needs. Panofsky was recommended for a faculty position by Morey. Flexner offered Panofsky a generous salary of $10,000, allowing him to continue his collaboration with Morey at Princeton and utilize Morey's established Index of Christian Art.[29]
During his stay in America, he became part of theKahler-Kreis which consisted of Erich Kahler acquaintances,[30]American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[31] theAmerican Philosophical Society,[32] theBritish Academy. In 1936 he was awarded his first Honorary Doctorate, byUtrecht University in the Netherlands, which was facilitated by his friendship with the Utrecht professorWillem Vogelsang.[citation needed] In 1954 he became foreign member of theRoyal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.[33] In 1962 he received theHaskins Medal of TheMedieval Academy of America. In 1947–1948 Panofsky was theCharles Eliot Norton professor atHarvard University; the lectures later becameEarly Netherlandish Painting.
He became particularly well known for his studies of symbols and iconography in art. First in a 1934 article, then in hisEarly Netherlandish Painting (1953), Panofsky was the first to interpretJan van Eyck'sArnolfini Portrait (1934) as not only a depiction of a wedding ceremony, but also a visual contract testifying to the act of marriage. Panofsky identifies a plethora of hidden symbols that all point to the sacrament of marriage. In recent years, this conclusion has been challenged, but Panofsky's work with what he called "hidden" or "disguised" symbolism is still very much influential in the study and understanding ofNorthern Renaissance art. Similarly, in his monograph onDürer, Panofsky gives lengthy "symbolic" analyses of the printsKnight, Death, and the Devil andMelencolia I, the former based onErasmus'sHandbook of a Christian Knight.
Panofsky was known to be a friend with physicistsWolfgang Pauli andAlbert Einstein. His younger son,Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky, became a renowned physicist who specialized inparticle accelerators. His elder son, Hans A. Panofsky, was "an atmospheric scientist who taught at Pennsylvania State University for 30 years and who was credited with several advances in the study ofmeteorology".[34] As Wolfgang Panofsky related, his father used to call his sons "meine beiden Klempner" ("my two plumbers").William S. Heckscher was a student, fellow emigre, and close friend. In 1973 he was succeeded at Princeton byIrving Lavin.Erwin Panofsky has been recognized as both a "highly distinguished" professor at theInstitute for Advanced Study,Princeton, New Jersey, and in Jeffrey Chipps' biography of the subject as "the most influential art historian of the twentieth century".[35] In 1999, the new "Panofsky Lane", in that Institute's faculty housing complex, was named in his honor.[36]
Panofsky was the most eminent representative oficonology, a method of studying the history of art created byAby Warburg and his disciples at theWarburg Institute in Hamburg. There, a personal and professional friendship linked him toFritz Saxl in collaboration with whom he produced a large part of his work.
In his bookStudies in Iconology, first published in 1939, he details his idea of three levels of art-historical understanding:[37]
For Panofsky, it was important to consider all three strata as one examines Renaissance art.Irving Lavin says "it was this insistence on, and search for, meaning — especially in places where no one suspected there was any — that led Panofsky to understand art, as no previous historian had, as an intellectual endeavor on a par with the traditional liberal arts."[38]
The method oficonology, which had developed following Erwin Panofsky, has been critically discussed since the mid-1950s, in part also strongly (Otto Pächt,Svetlana Alpers). However, among the critics, no one has found a model of interpretation that could completely replace that of Panofsky.[39]
As regards the interpretation ofChristian art, that Panofsky researched throughout his life, theiconographic interest in texts as possible sources remains important, because the meaning ofChristian images andarchitecture is closely linked to the content ofbiblical,liturgical andtheological texts, which were usually considered authoritative by most patrons, artists and viewers.[40]
In his 1936 essay "Style and Medium in the Motion Pictures",[41] republished by Lavin in 1995 (Three Essays on Style), Panofsky seeks to describe the visual symptoms endemic" to the medium of film.[42]
In 2016, theZentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte (Central Institute for Art History) in Munich founded the "Panofsky-Professur" (Panofsky Professorship). The first professors have been Victor Stoichita (2016),Gauvin Alexander Bailey (2017),Caroline van Eck (2018), and Olivier Bonfait (2019).[43] His work has greatly influenced the theory of taste developed by FrenchsociologistPierre Bourdieu, in books such asThe Rules of Art andDistinction. In particular, Bourdieu first adapted his notion ofhabitus from Panofsky'sGothic Architecture and Scholasticism,[3][44] having earlier translated the work into French.
A first comprehensive bibliography on the writings of Erwin Panofsky was published in theFestschrift edited byMillard Meiss in 1961.[45]Almost all texts are accessible online, see references.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)This revised edition incorporates the additions and corrections recorded by Erwin Panofsky until the time of his death in 1968. Gerda Panofsky-Soergel has updated the commentary in the light of new material, and the bibliography that she has prepared reflects the scholarship on St.-Denis in the last three decades. She has obtained some additional and more recent photographs, and the illustrations include a new ground plan and a new section of the chevet of the Abbey Church, both drawn under the supervision of Sumner McKnight Crosby.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| International | |
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