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“History of Art” by Ernst Gombrich

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“History of Art” by Ernst Gombrich “HISTORY OF ART” converts itself finally into the true protagonist mistakes begin, and also where their causes BY ERNST GOMBRICH of the book. In other words, Gombrich gives become apparent. The selection was influenced ANTÓN CAPITEL testimony to human´s capacity of producing to a great degree by the difficulty of obtaining such a great and diverse quantity of most the illustrations as well as the contents of the “History of Art”, by Gombrich, a famous book with esteemed artistic products. book. In other words, in many cases the works of unusual deficiencies. In his text about “A note of art books”, Gombrich art are subordinate to the content, and not the says that “Art history is a branch of history”. He other way round. This is a common fault of critic who writes this is in complete agreement with books of Art and Architecture, if not of all E.H.Gombrich: “History of Art”, pocket edition this affirmation and thus he feels obliged to genres to a certain extent. This coincidence, in Spanish by Phaidon, 2010. gravely dissent some contents of the book in however, doesn´t alleviate its gravity, as within particular. this book this distortion is very abundant. In the first place, we shall look over all the Let´s continue. As the book unravels unknown The famous book “History of Art” by Ernst errors and mistakes concerning the anthology artists of very scarce importance start appearing Gombrich was published for the first time in the that are presented within the book. This bears most of whom are Central European or British. United Kingdom in its primitive version. Since great importance as it is the book´s main These are just a handful of them: who are Peter then it has gone through 16 revised editions, reference. Effectively, the book delves straight de Hooch, Melozzo da Forlí, Konrad Witz, with numerous reprints. In 2006 the first pocket away into explanations of the artists through Mabuse, Nicholas Hilliard, Jean Goujon, Jacques edition was printed in London in English, of their particular works, a rather estimable Callot, Simon de Vlieger, Jan van Goyen, Jan great quality, and with printings of the 413 characteristic, as mentioned beforehand. The Steen, Jacob van Ruisdad, Willem Kalf, William images that constitute its anthology. The book fact of having chosen and reproduced the Hogarth, Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, John has been translated into numerous languages. particular works in question constitutes as, to a Singleton Copley, William Powell Frith, Pierre In 2010 the pocket edition also appeared in great extent, one of the main features of the Bonnard, Ferdinand Hodler, Káthe Kollwitz, Emil Spanish. The blurb of this edition begins by book, if it is not indeed the most important. Nolde, Grant Wood? While this question is rather affirming that “History of Art” [by Gombrich] The book has been widely published and sold in rhetoric, I truly insist that the reader replies, “is the most popular and famous book of art Spain, to the point that it is even used for who are they? They are people of a very second ever published”. We don´t doubt it, and it is academic purposes. Thus it makes sense to rank and so absolutely dispensable. Nevertheless, precisely this enormous diffusion that has begin with a quantitative analysis of the these characters provide the backbone of the invited me to write the published notes as anthology, with the aid of the book´s index. In book to a great extent, for their abundance if follows. this way, we can verify that out of the 400 nothing else. works of art chosen to represent Art History of My respect and inclination towards Gombrich´s the world throughout time, only 6 of them are Does Gombrich, therefore, align himself with works is based upon my reading of several of his pictures or buildings within Spain. This seems the small-minded traditional interpretation so more important books. Among them it seems to be extremely unusual, specially given the typical of British and Dutch protestants, that convenient to me to point out “Art and Illusion”,” collective memory of such museums as the undermine Spanish culture, a culture which, The Image and the Eye” and “The Preference by Prado among many others. But let´s continue: even at this point in history, many consider as the Primitive”. These are wonderful books, and only Switzerland and Holland have 6 references worn? Or is it, simply, because the book is I recommend them entirely. Some time ago, just as Spain, Russia has even fewer (despite British? If so, why is it translated into other when the first Spanish edition was published, I the Hermitage Museum !!), Belgium has 8, languages and sold in the same version? Should had had a certain temptation to read “History Austria 17, United States, 26, Germany 28, we continue to stand by such a form of cultural of Art”, although I didn´t do it. But last year, France 50, Italy 65 and the United Kingdom 71. colonialism that permeates through such when I was living in London, I found the pocket It is very clear that Gombrich, Austrian Hebrew second-class material? English edition in the National Gallery bookshop. residing in Great Britain, is a grateful man who When I verified that this edition was so has been knighted as “Sir”. But let´s continue a systematic verification. beautiful, carefully compiled and cheap, I While the Alhambra features as an example of convinced myself to buy and read it in English. I From the anthology and throughout the text it Architecture, de Mosque of Cordoba does not. did it with pleasure and care. In Madrid I later is possible to deduce which of the painters Neither does Santa María del Naranco or El verified that the pocket edition had also been Gombrich considers as most important as he Escorial, or Gaudí, or any other such examples published in Spanish, and this discovery brought dedicates to them the illustrations of four or that the reader would expect. While the book is me to write the present commentary. more works; one could say that their authors preoccupied with themes such as China, Persia are “geniuses” within the History of Painting. or Primitive Art, it ignores Spain, Portugal and Firstly, I would like to express gratitude that Thus Leonardo features four times, Durero six, the Americas. With regards to the latter, the such a great professor dedicated himself to the Rapahel five, Rubens five, Velázquez five, United States is the only country featured –and divulgation of Art History, and that he put upon Holbein four, Rembrandt six and Picasso six. yet somewhat bad choices are only taken from himself the obligation to talk about Art through Michelangelo has only three works, although it 20th Century Art and Architecture. In other all the periods of humanity, from Prehistoric is true that there are four illustrations of the words, both Pre-Colombian and Colonial cultures times to the 20th century. Apart from Gombrich Sistine Chapel ceiling, accompanied by only one are ignored. Thereby it also ignores the , nobody or almost nobody has done it, thus, sculpture (one of the slaves). Tiziano, Correggio, wonderful Renaissance cathedrals of Spain and the diffusion and prestige of the work comes as Caravaggio and Goya also have three, and thus Spanish America, unique pieces in the world. no surprise. As Gombrich visits all times and the first and the two last appear underestimated Also obscured is the important Latin American styles with a distinctive quick yet dense pace, in a certain sense. We must emphasise the Baroque. he combines an historical organization of mistakes of believing that Holbein lies among periods with an accompanying explanation of the “geniuses”, and of equalising in number the Neither do Francisco de Zurbarán nor Ribera the works´ relationship with their surrounding works of art by Correggio with those of feature among the painters, as neither for and society´s ideology. Neither can one forget Michelangelo, Tiziano, Caravaggio and Goya, as example does Luis Meléndez, the Spanish genius the morphological and individual analysis that already mentioned. On the other hand, of still life in the 18th Century. However, while picks up on changes of vision and taste, as well memories of Giotto and of El Greco are gravely this is the case, the book does feature very as the instruments, discoveries, and the offended with two illustrations and the memory average examples of British still life. We could particular characteristics and qualities that of Mantegna with one. Did Gombrich not know overhaul the Spanish picture to find many more make each work somehow notable and that Giotto and El Greco are as important as the absences (over-all in comparison with the list of significant in the development of history. others? Was he of a different opinion? unknown people before transcribed) but let´s Therefore one can say that it is this process that Here, therefore, is where the anthology´s move on to clearer examples. The choice of El “The history of art” Antón Capitel English version El lugar (II) CPA_03 P141 Greco paintings is quite absurd (there are only exaggeration to the average English or North with Boyle´s Chiswick House in London while he two faintly important paintings, and from New American, one thing remains certain; that it is fails to recognize the great Ledoux, for instance. York and Boston museums !!). The choice of impossible to be an expert in History of Art With regards to Soane, only a relatively Velázquez paintings is better, as the book without knowing Madrid. unimportant picture of his has been chosen.
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