Overview

In this meditation on the problem of style in art history, Henri Focillon describes how art forms change over time. Although he argues that the development of art is irreducible to external political, social or economic determinants, one of his great achievements was to lodge a concept of autonomous formal mutation within the shifting domain of materials and techniques. Focillon emphasizes the presence of non-synchronous tendencies within styles that give to artworks a manifold and stratified character.

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9780942299571

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Reviews

The Life of Forms in Art is a stimulating work, a live form itself, created by a mind whose sense of form is alive on every page. * Review of Metaphysics *

""The Life of Forms in Art is a stimulating work, a live form itself, created by a mind whose sense of form is alive on every page."" * Review of Metaphysics *

Author Information

Henri Focillon taught at the Collége de France and at Yale University. His books include Art of the West: Romanesque and Gothic (2 vols.), The Year 1000, L'art des sculpteurs romans, and Piero della Francesca.

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