080008 VO Style. An Introduction to the Method of Formal Analysis (2017W)

Up to the beginning of the 20th Century, advances in art were primarily seen as improvements in the means of style. These advances were for that reason highly valued. In Vienna, research in the field of art history was – although always open to several other methodological approaches – traditionally focused on style analysis. But starting in the 1960s, that approach was increasingly pushed aside by other methods. Eventually, the rationale of this approach was called into question. At the same time the necessary expertise and capabilities shrunk. But, of course, several questions (such as dating, provenance, attribution, distinction of different contributors („Händescheidung“) can only be answered through style analysis, if other sources of information are lacking. How much formal style analysis can serve as a useful tool has been evidenced by famous cases of forgery ("Wolfgang Beltracchi" and others).
The lecture provides an introduction in style analysis for beginners, but also is intended for students who feel the need to catch up on this method.

The lecture will be supported by a power point presentation and streaming available on learning management system Moodle, as well as a tutorial.