Erwin Panofsky, Leo Steinberg, David Carrier: The Problem of Objectivity in Art Historical Interpretation Author(s): David Carrier Reviewed work(s): Source: The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 47, No. 4 (Autumn, 1989), pp. 333- 347 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The American Society for Aesthetics Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/431133 . Accessed: 24/04/2012 07:48 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Blackwell Publishing and The American Society for Aesthetics are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism. http://www.jstor.org DAVID CARRIER ErwinPanofsky, Leo Steinberg,David Carrier:The Problemof Objectivityin Art HistoricalInterpretation My cheeky title was inspiredby an anonymous tive "as objectively as possible" and yet "when reader's complaint in a rejection letter: "and they ... compared ... their efforts ... their tran- what's worse, at one point Carrier even com- scripts differed to a surprisingextent." Under- pares himself to Panofsky." But why indeed standing"these limits to objectivity"may, Gom- shouldI not comparemyself to him, since doing brich suggests, help us understandnaturalistic that is not, absurdly,to imply that my work is images. Considerthe parallelquestion about the equally important,but indicates how the meth- limits of objectivity of interpretationin art his- odological problems posed by his writing are tory. A group of art historiansseeks to interpret also raisedby mine? In a long sequence of pub- the same artworkas objectively as possible and lished papersI have describedthe literarystruc- yet when we compare their texts, their inter- tures of art historians'writing which the histo- pretationsdiffer to a surprisingextent. Just as riographerHayden White calls the tropics of those Germanartists could comparetheir repre- discourse.' Just as successful painters have a sentations because they all sought to depict the style, an identifiablypersonal way of represent- landscape before which they stood, so we can ing what they depict; so the same is true, I compare the interpretationsof these art histo- argue, of art historians.But how is objectivityof riansbecause they are of the same artwork. interpretationin art history possible? An answer Each artist representing that landscape de- to this question must be consistent with two picted it in his or her own style. Analogously, I facts: 1) styles of artwritingchange over time; speak of the style of an art historian.This paral- 2) every interpreterhas theirown style. The aim lel appearsoccasionally in the earlier literature of art history is to interpreta workobjectively, to but its implicationshave not been spelled out.3 understandit-that is-as it really was intended Like a painter,an art historiancomes-perhaps to be seen. But if disagreements amongst art after some struggle-to acquire a style, which historiansare sufficiently serious, then it may be then can influence others, or be imitated. What impossibleto achievethat goal. The fact that art makes Poussin's evolution so interestingis that historiansdisagree says nothing about the pos- when he arrived in Rome at the crossroads of sibility of achieving objectivity in interpreta- 1630 many stylistic possibilitieswere available.4 tion. The real questions are: how serious are The dating of his early work is complex in part such agreements?;and, are they serious enough because he was subject to many influences. He to show that objectivity in interpretationis im- had not yet found his own style. After a certain possible to achieve?I answerthem by taking the date, however, he did, and then his evolution parallelbetween artists and art historiansas far proceededin a relativelyself-sufficient fashion. as it will go, or even, for this too is useful, too Comparehim to Gombrich, who, when he was far. young, was also subjectto many influences. He Like an artist, an art historianhas a style. At has explained how his rejection of both for- the startof the second chapterof Artand Illusion malism and Marxism, his critical response to Gombrich retells a story which reveals some- Riegl and his interestin psychoanalysisled him thing importantabout artists' styles.2 A groupof to form his style.5 Like Poussin, after a certain Germanartists seek to transcribethe same mo- point he found his style, and then his evolution The Journalof Aesthetics and Art Criticism 47:4 Fall 1989 334 The Journalof Aesthetics and Art Criticism also proceededin a relativelyself-sufficient fash- clear, that did not seem especially disturbing. ion. An art historian'sstyle, like thatof an artist, Post-Panofsky, that work is a allegory whose may evolve. Svetlana Alpers's recent book on every element is related to that inscription. Far Rembrandtboth builds upon her earlier con- from being a merely naturalisticimage, it is a cerns and is recognizably different from her highly complex play of symbols. Pre-Panofsky, earlier work.6 A style of an art historian, like The Arcadian Shepherdsis an Arcadian scene; thatof a painter,may be imitated.Sydney Freed- the two versions contain the same words and berg has a style which appears in his book on express the same sense of nostalgia. Post-Pan- Parmigianino(1950). It is developed in his ac- ofsky, this change in the composition marks a count of the High Renaissance (1961) and re- dramaticchange in the meaning of the depicted fined in his Circa 1600 (1983).7 Werehe now to scene. Now the same words are very differently write in the style of Alpers, he would have interpretedby the artist in his two images, a abandonedhis style. revision which reveals a major change in the Just as only a few artists develop such a per- conceptionof an Arcadia. sonal style, so also in art history. Most art histo- Pre-Steinberg:The two Caravaggio's in the rians write in the style of theirmaster. There are Cerasi Chapel are puzzling, seemingly inept two different ways to understandthis situation. compositions. Prior to this century, Caravag- However interestingtheir individual works, no gio's reputationwas low; and although the re- artist or art historianwhose works are not in an vival of interestin his art led to a more positive individualstyle can be judged a master.Perhaps evaluation of these works, even some of his it is betterto have a bad style ratherthan none at admirersfound them not altogethersatisfactory. all, for that at least shows that your work is Post-Steinberg:These compositions are due to identifiably individual. To say an artist or art very intricatecalculations by Caravaggioabout historianhas an individualstyle indicates, then, the site in which they are set. Once we consider that they are an importantfigure. Minor artists the experienceof enteringthe Cerasi Chapeland and art historians work in the style of others; viewing them obliquely, then we see them en- greatones are influencedby earlierfigures in the tirely differently and understandin a new way creation of their own style. Alternatively, to how they are characteristicallybaroque. speak of styles may be less to use an honorific Pre-Steinberg:Michelangelo's Last Judgment term than to employ a convenientway of classi- is a very famous often quotedwork whose com- fying texts and artworks. Just as it is useful to position is not especially interesting. The scene describe some relativelyunknown artist's works of a last judgment is a familiar theme, and so as being in the style of Poussin, so it is useful to what is importantare the details of Michelan- identify an art historian'swork by saying that it gelo's image. Post-Steinberg: Michelangelo's is in the style of Alpers. The art critic often uses Last Judgmentis a compositionwhich links dis- this technique, identifying younger artists by tant figures in a remarkablyoriginal fashion; comparingand contrastingthem to well known and it is not a last judgment, but a work whose figures. To say thattheir work is akin to Mondri- theology is original and, in the counter-Refor- an's or Matisse's is not necessarily to imply that mation, which occurred soon after it was paint- they are equally good, but it does give some ed, was heretical.What fascinates Leo Steinberg sense of how to place their work. Talk about is the site specific relation of an image to the style provides an useful sense of expectation.9 spectator,an effect which is sometimes lost or Style is a pigeonhole, a way of identifying the hard to recapturein reproductions.Panofsky's novel by referenceto what is well known.10 interpretations,published in the 1930s, provid- How is this personal element in artwriting ed a framework which was soon adapted by consistent with the announcedgoal of art his- other art historians, becoming the established tory, objectivity in interpretation?I first pose methodology. Steinberg'sessay on Caravaggio this question by using well known examples I was publishedin 1959, and his workon Michel- have discussed in detail in my publishedpapers. angelo appearedmore recently. For this reason, Pre-Panofsky,Arnolfini Marriage seemed a much more is to be learnt by considering the marvelousnaturalistic image. If the meaningof responsesto his publications.Since a consensus the very small inscription was not altogether about the value of his work has not yet been Carrier Objectivityin Art Historical Interpretation 335 achieved, it would be premature to radically way of talking, one I readilyemploy in thinking divide the history of interpretationinto pre- and about my own interpretations.15 It underlines post-Steinbergianphases. 1I But what justifies the importance of making discoveries which here applying these terms to his interpretations change the way we see these pictures.