An historiographic contextualization of Leo Steinberg’s “Observations in the Cerasi Chapel"
In recent decades, Leo Steinberg’s 1959 article ‘Observations in the Cerasi Chapel’ has been variously characterized as brilliant, extraordinarily insightful, and classic, but its methodological origins and implications have never been studied in detail. A close look at Steinberg’s piece reveals rel...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Art History, University of Birmingham
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Art Historiography |
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| Online Access: | https://arthistoriography.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/houston.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827364201301016576 |
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| author | Kerr Houston |
| author_facet | Kerr Houston |
| author_sort | Kerr Houston |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In recent decades, Leo Steinberg’s 1959 article ‘Observations in the Cerasi Chapel’ has been variously characterized as brilliant, extraordinarily insightful, and classic, but its methodological origins and implications have never been studied in detail. A close look at Steinberg’s piece reveals relevant antecedents in the writings of several earlier German-language art historians and significant contemporary parallels in Anglophone art writing. But the article, written when Steinberg was better known as an art critic than as an art historian, also provocatively blurred the boundaries between those disciplines and challenged mid-century analytical models. Moreover, Steinberg’s emphasis upon mobile, embodied viewership was soon embraced in the practices of Robert Morris and Alice Aycock, both of whom he taught. An analysis of the contexts in which Steinberg developed his ideas and in which they were received thus complicates and enriches his own account of the genesis of his article, and reveals a complex course of methodological affinities and innovations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T08:04:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-46b7c4529df84f8d8bc778ff9853e264 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2042-4752 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T08:04:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Department of Art History, University of Birmingham |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Art Historiography |
| spelling | doaj.art-46b7c4529df84f8d8bc778ff9853e2642024-02-02T11:13:16ZengDepartment of Art History, University of BirminghamJournal of Art Historiography2042-47522023-12-012929KH110.48352/uobxjah.00004310An historiographic contextualization of Leo Steinberg’s “Observations in the Cerasi Chapel"Kerr Houston 0Maryland Institute College of ArtIn recent decades, Leo Steinberg’s 1959 article ‘Observations in the Cerasi Chapel’ has been variously characterized as brilliant, extraordinarily insightful, and classic, but its methodological origins and implications have never been studied in detail. A close look at Steinberg’s piece reveals relevant antecedents in the writings of several earlier German-language art historians and significant contemporary parallels in Anglophone art writing. But the article, written when Steinberg was better known as an art critic than as an art historian, also provocatively blurred the boundaries between those disciplines and challenged mid-century analytical models. Moreover, Steinberg’s emphasis upon mobile, embodied viewership was soon embraced in the practices of Robert Morris and Alice Aycock, both of whom he taught. An analysis of the contexts in which Steinberg developed his ideas and in which they were received thus complicates and enriches his own account of the genesis of his article, and reveals a complex course of methodological affinities and innovations.https://arthistoriography.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/houston.pdfleo steinbergcerasi chapelcaravaggiophenomenologyart criticismviewership |
| spellingShingle | Kerr Houston An historiographic contextualization of Leo Steinberg’s “Observations in the Cerasi Chapel" Journal of Art Historiography leo steinberg cerasi chapel caravaggio phenomenology art criticism viewership |
| title | An historiographic contextualization of Leo Steinberg’s “Observations in the Cerasi Chapel" |
| title_full | An historiographic contextualization of Leo Steinberg’s “Observations in the Cerasi Chapel" |
| title_fullStr | An historiographic contextualization of Leo Steinberg’s “Observations in the Cerasi Chapel" |
| title_full_unstemmed | An historiographic contextualization of Leo Steinberg’s “Observations in the Cerasi Chapel" |
| title_short | An historiographic contextualization of Leo Steinberg’s “Observations in the Cerasi Chapel" |
| title_sort | historiographic contextualization of leo steinberg s observations in the cerasi chapel |
| topic | leo steinberg cerasi chapel caravaggio phenomenology art criticism viewership |
| url | https://arthistoriography.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/houston.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kerrhouston anhistoriographiccontextualizationofleosteinbergsobservationsinthecerasichapel AT kerrhouston historiographiccontextualizationofleosteinbergsobservationsinthecerasichapel |