Abstract
The paper questions Jacques Ranciere’s conception of the modern aesthetic regime as the correlation between visuality and language by returning to two fundamental figures of modern art history, Heinrich Wolfflin and Wilhelm Worringer. First, Wolfflin’s “Prolegomena” (1886) is interpreted as an attempt to conceive architectural space in terms of affectivity. Second, this conception of space is related to the Th. Vischer’s and J. Volkelt’s theory of symbolism. Third, the paper integrates this aesthetics in a model that conceives form as force (Goethe). Fourth, this modulation of affectivity that justifies architectural space is confronted with Wilhelm Worringer’s concept of abstraction. After all, this notion responds also to a conception of art in terms of space and affectivity. Finally, the paper debates the role of Wolfflin’s “Prolegomena” from the perspective of architectural design and its relation to modernity.
Highlights
Das Barbarische ist das Buchstäbliche. —Theodor AdornoTo structure the history of aesthetics, Jacques Rancière has introduced the notion of a ‘regime of arts’ (2003)
The ‘aesthetics regime’ is a late invention that redistributes the sensible so that the visual appears as an autonomous presence and as a new type of literacy (2003: 188–189)
Formalist aesthetics falls under this aesthetic regime because it approaches forms as autonomous entities that modulate without relating to anything in the world
Summary
The paper questions Jacques Rançière’s conception of the modern aesthetic regime as the correlation between visuality and language by returning to two fundamental figures of modern art history, Heinrich Wölfflin and Wilhelm Worringer. Wölfflin’s “Prolegomena” (1886) is interpreted as an attempt to conceive architectural space in terms of affectivity. This conception of space is related to the Th. Vischer’s and J. The paper integrates this aesthetics in a model that conceives form as force (Goethe). Fourth, this modulation of affectivity that justifies architectural space is confronted with Wilhelm Worringer’s concept of abstraction. This modulation of affectivity that justifies architectural space is confronted with Wilhelm Worringer’s concept of abstraction After all, this notion responds to a conception of art in terms of space and affectivity. The paper debates the role of Wölfflin’s “Prolegomena” from the perspective of architectural design and its relation to modernity
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