The Psychologizing of Modernity Art, Architecture and History [Paperback]

An examination of the impact of psychology on twentieth-century aesthetics.In The Psychologizing of Modernity, Mark Jarzombek examines the impact of psychology on twentieth-century aesthetics. Analyzing the interface between psychology, art history and avant-gardist practices, he also reflects on the longevity of the myth of aesthetic individuality as it infiltrated not only avant-garde art, but also history writing. The principle focus of this study is pre-World War II Germany, where theories of empathy and Entartung emerged; and post-war America, where artists, critics and historians gradually shifted from their reliance on psychology to philosophy, and most recently, to theory.In The Psychologizing of Modernity, Mark Jarzombek examines the impact of psychology on twentieth-century aesthetics. Analyzing the interface between psychology, art history and avant-gardist practices, he also reflects on the longevity of the myth of aesthetic individuality as it infiltrated not only avant-garde art, but also history writing. The principle focus of this study is pre-World War II Germany, where theories of empathy and Entartung emerged; and post-war America, where artists, critics and historians gradually shifted from their reliance on psychology to philosophy, and most recently, to theory.In The Psychologizing of Modernity, Mark Jarzombek examines the impact of psychology on twentieth-century aesthetics. Analyzing the interface among psychology, art history and avant-gardist practices, he also reflects on the longevity of the myth of aesthetic individuality as it infiltrated not only avant-garde art, but also history writing. The principle focus of this study is pre-World War II Germany, where theories of empathy and Entartung emerged; and postwar America, where artists, critics and historians gradually shifted from their reliance on psychology to philosophy, and most recently, to theory.List of Illustrations; Acknowledgements; A prolegomenon to critical historiography;lC~