The specifics of attribution of paintings: the Morelli method

Abstract

Attribution and the study of painting pose two important questions to researchers: the choice of methodology and terminology used in describing and highlighting the characteristics of a work of art. "Visual research" as an integrated approach to the problems of reception and creativity forms a system of stable principles of analysis of the monument, focused on the study of the vision and complex extraverbal aspects of the existence of the subject in the historical and cultural space. The analysis of painting involves an integrated approach based on the study of technique and material, the features of shaping and means of artistic expression, iconography and semantics, the creative method of the master and the consumer's reaction, the role in the context of everyday culture and the principles of reception in a synchronous and diachronic cut.In the 19th century, the Italian art critic Giovanni Morelli made a significant contribution to the theory and practice of painting by outstanding masters of the Renaissance. Methods based on deep knowledge in the field of human anatomy and the analysis of the artist's professional skills have influenced not only the history of art, but also the development of criminology, criminology, psychoanalytic theory and psychotherapeutic practice. This article analyzes the method of Giovanni Morelli, which is adapted not only to the needs of attribution, but is also applicable to forensic tasks requiring the analysis of human skills and habits, as well as the identification or attribution of works of art.