The Renewal of Pagan Antiquity: Contributions to the Cultural History of the European Renaissance

by Aby Warburg, Kurt W. Forster (Introduction), Aby Warburg

Bibliophile, scholar, founder of what would become the Warburg Institute, Aby Warburg (1866-1929) ranks as one of the most original and brilliant art historians of this century. Warburg looked beyond iconography to more psychological aspects of artistic creation, and in particular he contemplated the meaning of the re-use of ancient motifs. His scholarship--published in German in 1932 in two volumes encompassing all of his published essays along with manuscript notes in his working copies--has had a crucial influence on the work of twentieth-century art historians. Now, with the publication of this new translation of The Renewal of Pagan Antiquity, these seminal volumes are available in their entirety in English for the first time.

Genres: Art, History, Art History, Renaissance, Nonfiction, Religion, Paganism

868 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1932

About the author

Aby Moritz Warburg, better known as Aby Warburg, was a German art historian and cultural theorist who founded the Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg (Library for Cultural Studies), a private library, which was later moved to the Warburg Institute, London. At the heart of his research was the legacy of the classical world, and the transmission of classical representation, in the most varied areas of Western culture through to the Renaissance.
Warburg described himself as: "Amburghese di cuore, ebreo di sangue, d'anima Fiorentino" ('Hamburger at heart, Jew by blood, Florentine in spirit').

Reviews

[Frenchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't even think about writing about art ever if you haven't read Warburg's seminal essays. It puts all the current Cultural Studies writers to shame, and I'm not even speaking about all these ridiculous Critical Studies programs.
Favorite essay is the one on International Astrology.

[Ignacio Unamuno · Rating 2 out of 5]

No es mínimamente comprensible por qué los fanáticos de Aby Warburg decidieron titular este libro de esta manera. En sus ochocientas páginas, no encontré cien que trataran la “renovación de la Antigüedad pagana”. Sólo el “segundo volumen” de este volumen (los editores quisieron decir “segunda parte”) contiene aspectos más o menos pertinentes. Pero ni tanto, pues los textos recogidos hablan de cómo los protestantes rechazaron la Antigüedad pagana como una superstición. ¿Esto es “renovación”? Curiosa comprensión de la realidad...

Los editores de este libro —fanáticos de Warburg— simplemente recogieron papeles inéditos y los acumularon en un tomo con un título engañoso. Los papeles son informes exageradamente eruditos sobre pinturas italianas del Renacimiento; y otras cosas completamente irrelevantes (como el texto que reseña contenidos de la revista literaria moderna Chap-book, o lo que habla de los murales del Ayuntamiento de Hamburgo...). En estas páginas, no hay nada más.

Este libro es una evidencia más de que, a veces, los homenajes póstumos pueden ser un estorbo para los grandes pensadores. Si admiran a un pensador, háganle un favor, y no vendan los papeles que nunca pretendió publicar. Y, si no pueden resistirse, entonces estúdienlo bien y no prometan temas imaginarios. Lo más sencillo sería titularlo: “Obras completas”. Así sabremos que es un poco de todo, y los que no somos fanáticos lo pasaremos por alto. Y aquí lo dejo para no reventar de la irritación.

[Alana White · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining and scholarly primary resource for details regarding Botticelli's "Primavera" and "Birth of Venus" and Angelo Poliziano's influence on him....

[Will Schumer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few English collections of one of the great art historians of all time

[Lovely Fortune · Rating 3 out of 5]

For German class on Aby Warburg.

I want to preface this by saying I am not someone who is interested in art history, and the notes I wrote on this were quite sparse, but my response to the readings revolving this particular essay was centered around the period this art was set in and how the beliefs of this time period (namely astrology) influenced the way people looked at art as well as the type of art they made. Much of our class (and my own final projects for this class) revolved around the transitional period of the Late Roman era where a gradual shift from paganism/astrology to Christianity was seen. I definitely recommend this for people interested in art, because it wasn't a fun read for me, but there could be some intrigue in this if you are into history, especially of the theological sort or involving this time period.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Twist.

[Mills College Library]

709.024 W2538 1999