The Life of Forms in Art

In this beautiful meditation on the history of art and the problem of style, Henri Focillon (1881-1943) describes how art forms change over time. Although he argues that the development of art is reducible to external political, social, or economic determinants, one of his great achievements was to lodge a concept of autonomous and organic artistic creation within the shifting ...

In this beautiful meditation on the history of art and the problem of style, Henri Focillon (1881-1943) describes how art forms change over time. Although he argues that the development of art is reducible to external political, social, or economic determinants, one of his great achievements was to lodge a concept of autonomous and organic artistic creation within the shifting domain of materials and techniques. Focillon emphasizes the universal presence of contradictory tendencies that give all styles manifold, stratified character.The Life of Forms remains one of the most brilliant and important applications of biological metaphors to the study of art. It has been superbly translated by Yale art historian George Kubler, whose book The Shape of Time was strongly influenced by Focillon.

福西永（Henri Focillon，1881—1943），法国20世纪最伟大的美术史家，先后任里昂大学、索邦神学院、耶鲁大学教授、华盛顿敦巴顿橡树园研究员资深学者。他一生著述宏富，既显示出精深的专业知识，又随时跨越专业界限，将读者引向无限丰富的知识领域。