Written at the height of the arts and crafts movement in fin-de-siecle
Vienna, Alois Riegl's Stilfragen represented a turning point in defining
art and understanding the sources of its inspiration. Demonstrating an
uninterrupted continunity in the history of ornament from the ancient
Egyptian through the Islamic period, Riegl argued that the creative urge
manifests itself in both "great art" and the most humble artifact, and
that change is an inherent part of style. This new translation, which
renders Riegl's seminal work in contemporary, readable prose, allows for
a fresh reexamination of his thought in light of current revisionist
debate.
His discovery of infinite variation in the restatement of several
decorative motifs--the palmette, rosette, tendril--led Riegl to believe
that art is completely independent from exterior conditions and is
beyond individual volition. This thinking laid the groundwork for his
famous concept of Kunstwollen, or artistic intention.
"Something that the translation will, I hope, convey, is the passion
invsted in Riegl's enterprise. We are made to feel that the issues he
discussed mattered vitally to him; it was the very nature of art and its
relation to human life that were at stake, art as an absolute
necessity." --From the preface of Henri Zerner
Alois Reigl (1858-1905) was Curator of Textiles at the Museum of Art and
Industry in Vienna during most of his career and wrote many influential
works on the history of art, including Spatromische Kunstgeschichte.
Evelyn Kain is Associate Professor of Art History at Ripon College,
Ripon, Wisconsin. David Castriota is Assistant Professor of Art History
at Sarah Lawrence College.
Originally published in 1993.
The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand
technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from
the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions
preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting
them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the
Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich
scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by
Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
