Figural Philology: Panofsky and the Science of Things

Description

Though inspired by a Panofskyan legacy, this book diverges at certain points from Erwin Panofsky's declared objectives, and calls attention to several of aspects that were until now less accentuated in his intellectual reception. Insisting on the importance of iconology as a method for art history and the humanities in general, it shows how examining this promotes a cooperation between the history of art and the history of philosophy. It discusses whether Panofsky's method could be of use for general questions in the epistemology of the historical sciences that examine human works. Figural Philology also shows that Panofsky shares affinities with twentieth-century romance philology. A reading of Panofsky's work alongside the philological enterprise of Erich Auerbach and several other authors demonstrates that a proper appropriation of the philological impulse can provide a way out of the methodological antimony still hanging between hyper-formalist and hyper-theoretical approaches to the history of art.

Adi Efal is Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Cologne, Germany.

Efal's is a fresh new voice working at the intersection of art history and philosophy, and it is therefore no surprise that she has written such an exciting, distinctive and innovative book. I mean only the highest praise when I say that there is nothing quite like it on the market at the moment. * Daniel Whistler, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Liverpool University, UK *