ABSTRACT Title of Document: PAUL CÉZANNE AND THE MAKING OF MODERN ART HISTORY Jorgelina Orfila, Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Directed By: Professor June E. Hargrove Department of Art History and Archaeology The application of art historical methodologies to the study of Paul Cézanne in the 1930s brought about significant changes in the way the artist’s art and biography were understood. Art history was institutionalized as an international academic discipline under the pressure of the ideological struggle that preceded the Second World War. This process promoted the incorporation of modern art as part of the disciplinary field. The use of categories of analysis developed for the examination of historical manifestations helped to assimilate modern art into a narrative that extolled the continuity of the Western tradition. This dissertation examines the writings and careers of art historians who published books on Cézanne in 1936 in Paris: Lionello Venturi, the first catalogue raisonné of the work of the artist, Cézanne, son art, son oeuvre; René Huyghe, a monograph, Cézanne; and John Rewald, Cézanne et Zola, which became the accepted biography of the artist. In addition, Rewald’s photographs of the sites Cézanne painted were instrumental in introducing space (as perspective) as a category for the analysis of the artist’s landscapes, thus helping to establish its link to the Western tradition. The site photographs epitomize the new approach to documentation and the changes in museography that accompanied the transformation of art history. The arrival of émigré art historians to the United States favored the identification of the hegemonic art historical discourse with an anti-totalitarian ideology. Alfred H. Barr Jr., the director of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, organized in 1936 Cubism and Abstract Art. The exhibition, which established Cézanne as a key figure in the development of modern art, associated modern art with the fight against Fascism. This dissertation studies a previously ignored period of the history of the institutionalization of art history and provides arguments for the debate on the epistemological foundations of the discipline and its relationship with museography and art criticism. By questioning these foundations, the dissertation disentangles Cézanne’s work from the ideological constructs that were affixed to his art by the interpretations proposed in the 1930s and suggests new avenues for understanding it. PAUL CÉZANNE AND THE MAKING OF MODERN ART HISTORY By Jorgelina Orfila Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2007 Advisory Committee: Professor June E. Hargrove, Chair Professor William L. Pressly Professor Sally M. Promey Professor Brian Richardson Professor Joshua A. Shannon © Copyright by Jorgelina Orfila 2007 The thesis or dissertation document that follows has had referenced material removed in respect for the owner's copyright. A complete version of this document, which includes said referenced material, resides in the University of Maryland, College Park's library collection. ii Acknowledgements The Department of Art History and Archaeology of the University of Maryland provided the financial help and support that allowed me to do the research for this dissertation. The confidence the faculty of the Department demonstrated in my project gave me the strength to carry it on. I could never praise enough how fortunate I was to have Professor June Hargrove as my advisor. Her academic guidance, professional mentoring, and trust in me never wavered during my years at the University of Maryland. She not only interceded on my behalf in countless opportunities but also helped me in every single aspect of the process of writing this dissertation. Also, it would be very difficult to find more supportive and generous teachers than Professors Sally Promey and William Pressly. I sincerely thank Professors Joshua Shannon and Brian Richardson for agreeing to be part of my dissertation committee and for their helpful comments. Ania Waller, the department’s Director of Finance, and Deborah Down, the Graduate Secretary, have helped me with administrative details so that I could maintain focus on teaching and writing. Kathy Canavan, the Graduate Secretary when I entered the program, helped me not only as member of the staff but also as a friend. Her sudden death in the fall of 2004 still saddens us all. In the International Students Services my thanks to Jody Heckman-Bose whose reassurances and expeditiousness helped me to navigate the hazardous waters of the F1 visa status. How I reached the University of Maryland has its own story and implies a list of people to thank for their trust in my project. I came to the United States on a iii Lampadia Fellowship to work at the department of French Paintings, National Gallery of Art. In Buenos Aires, Américo Castilla from the Antorchas Foundation helped me immensely. Faya Causey was then head of academic programs at NGA. Her unflagging enthusiasm, support, and friendship still inspire me. Philip Conisbee led me to consider the evaluation of nineteenth-century art in the 1930s when he gave me as a subject of study the Chester Dale collection. His guidance was fundamental in the early stages of this project. At the Archives of the Gallery, where I worked on the Chester Dale Papers and the John Rewald Papers, I found not merely a lovely workplace but the friendship and support of Maygene Daniels and her family. My warmest thanks go to Anne and Don Ritchie, whose love helped me in the darkest moments. English is not my first language, and I am immensely indebted to my American friends for correcting my writing, most especially to Dena Crosson and Kristen Regina. Their friendship helped me to finish the manuscript. Jonathan Walz also collaborated in the delicate task of correcting my faults while encouraging my efforts. My long time friends María Isabel Heredia and Susana Smulevici have been always by my side. Together with my family they helped me to understand what Marcos Aguinis has characterized as “el atroz encanto de ser argentino” (the appalling allure of being Argentine). My parents, Marta Elena Roumiguière and Jorge R. Orfila, were my moral compass and orientation. My sister’s love has been a source of inspiration throughout these years. With unwavering humor María Belén reminds me of our origins and of what it means to have been born in a country like Argentina. iv My worldview was shaped by the experience of living in Argentina during the chaotic 1970s and 1980s. I am thankful to those who helped me to understand those events and even to gain a certain wisdom from them. I am also thankful to those who encouraged me to keep my perspective and to write about nineteenth-century art history from that vantage point. I hope it is useful to others. v Table of Contents Acknowledgements......................................................................................................iii Table of Contents......................................................................................................... vi List of Figures............................................................................................................viii Introduction................................................................................................................... 1 The Rappel à l’ordre in the 1930s: A New Humanism............................................ 6 Setting the Stage: The Documentation and Cézanne’s Early Critical Fortune......... 9 The Institutionalization of Art History as an Academic International Discipline in the 1930s ................................................................................................................. 16 The History of Modern Art History........................................................................ 28 Methodological Notes : Ideology, Museography and Hegemony .......................... 38 Section One................................................................................................................. 48 Chapter One: Towards a Modern [Humanist] Art History 1929-1939....................... 59 The History of the History of Art ........................................................................... 61 Panofsky and the Neo-Kantian Turn....................................................................... 70 1929 to 1939: From Davos to America.................................................................. 75 Art History as a Humanistic Discipline. Humanism in America............................ 86 Written Art History vs. Plastic Arts ? The Image and the Word ............................ 92 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 105 Chapter Two: Lionello Venturi’s Impressionist Cézanne ........................................ 108 Italian Foundations: The Dialogue Past-Present, Present-Past............................. 111 Roberto Longhi’s Cézanne ................................................................................... 119 Venturi’s Cézanne................................................................................................. 124 Impressionism, Color and the Representation of Reality ..................................... 128 Venturi and Modern Art History........................................................................... 141 Venturi in America