Aberrations: An Essay on the Legend of Forms

October Books

by Jurgis Baltrušaitis Jr.

What part do "depraved perspectives" play in the attainment of knowledge? What metaphysical truths are to be found in aberrations? Jurgis Baltrusaitis, one of Europe's most distinguished historians of art and culture, has consistently broken new ground by pursuing the other side of science, myth, and ideology and by examining its relevance to the formation and history of art. He exposes the byways through which the natural environment is turned into art. In the process he illuminates some of the central issues in current discussions of the theory of art.

In Aberrations, Baltrusaitis creates a remarkable panorama of modern culture. He interweaves the rational with the fabulous - the fable of the beast in man figurative images in stones, the forest in the Gothic edifice, and whole cultures in the garden - to reveal the ways in which natural phenomena have been read into cultural forms, and vice versa. Illustrated throughout the essays are "Animal Physiognomy," "Images in Stones," "The Romance of Gothic Architecture," and "Gardens and Lands of Illusion."

Jurgis Baltrusaitis is the author of eight books, among them Anamorphoses: Formations, Deformations, and The Quest for Isis. He has been awarded the Prix Bordin of the Academy of Fine Arts and the Prix Hercule Catenacci of the French Academy. An OCTOBER Book

Genres: Art, Art History

210 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Jurgis Baltrušaitis (May 7, 1903 – January 25, 1988) was a Lithuanian art historian, art critic and a founder of comparative art research. He was the son of the poet and diplomat Jurgis Baltrušaitis . Most of his works were written in French, although he always stressed his Lithuanian origin. After Lithuania was occupied by the USSR in 1945, he served as a diplomat in exile.

Source: Wikipedia

Reviews

[Darren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baltrusaitis books are freaking expensive, otherwise this is one I'd own. As a Symbolist poet, he brings a unique eye to his subjects, of which my favorite is Gardens and Lands of Illusion -- fans of Robert Harbison's book Eccentric Spaces will find a lot to like here.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jurgis Baltrušaitis non si smentisce, lo adoro.
Qui egli conduce il lettore in un viaggio erudito e visionario attraverso i sentieri meno battuti della storia dell'arte, dove il razionalismo cede il passo al fantastico e al bizzarro. L'operaè un'esplorazione di quelle "forme deviate" che, pur sembrando marginali, rivelano le correnti sotterranee della cultura europea e orientale. Dai paesaggi antropomorfi alle pietre figurate, dalle illusioni ottiche delle anamorfosi fino alle metamorfosi gotiche, l'autore decifra il linguaggio dei sogni e delle deformazioni che hanno popolato l'immaginario collettivo. Baltrušaitis cataloga curiosità e dimostra come l'anomalia sia una costante estetica dotata di una propria logica rigorosa e di una profonda carica simbolica. Il saggio ribalta la prospettiva tradizionale, elevando l'errore visivo e l'artificio a strumenti di conoscenza, capaci di svelare i legami invisibili tra natura e artificio. Attraverso una scrittura densa ma affascinante, il libro esplora il confine tra scienza e leggenda.