Siberian Federal University

Issue

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2012 5 (1)

Authors

Yuzhakova, Elizaveta V.

Contact information

Yuzhakova, Elizaveta V. : Ural Federal University , 51 Lenin st., Ekaterinburg, 620083 Russia , e-mail:

Keywords

methodology of art history; melancholy; nostalgia

Abstract

The article reflects some aspects of a wider work dealing with notion of melancholy used in contemporary art history. Starting with the study of historiography of the engraving Melencolia I by Albrecht Dürer, the author came to know that the notion of melancholy itself became an often used trope in contemporary theory. Michael Ann Hollys controversial concept of art history as a melancholic discipline being the most vivid example of this application became the subject of this article. Her theory invokes several questions: what is the methodological basis of Hollys reasoning, are there any conceptual influences for her theory, and is it indeed melancholy and not anything else present is art historians work. In answering these questions the author of this article refers to philosophy of history, namely to the works of Frank Ankersmit and Peter Fritzsche who conceptualize the notion of nostalgia in their writings. This context allows presenting a hypothesis that the tendency of the neighboring discipline could influence Hollys meditations and inspire her to use the similar trope in her field. By analyzing the effectiveness of Hollys employment of Freudian definition of melancholy, and appealing to the notion of nostalgia as it is theorized in philosophy of history, the author comes to the conclusion that Hollys disciplinary melancholy is actually of nostalgic origin.

Pages

136-140

Paper at repository of SibFU

https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/2644

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).