E.H. Gombrich

E.H. Gombrich

E.H. Gombrich (Sir Ernst Hans Josef Gombrich) was born on March 30th, 1909. E.H. passed away November 3rd, 2001 at 92 years old. E.H. Gombrich was born in Vienna, Austria.

E.H. Gombrich was an Austrian-born British art historian and author who spent most of his working life in the UK. He wrote many books on cultural and art history, with The Story of Art considered one of the most accessible introductions to the visual arts.

Gombrich’s book Art and Illusion is also considered one of the major works in the psychology of perception and has highly influenced thinkers as diverse as Nelson Goodman, Carlo Ginzburg, Thomas Kuhn, and Umberto Eco. Gombrich argues that art history can, at times, be considered the history of successive styles. We learn how the Romanesque/Norman style of the 12th century was replaced by the Gothic, with its pointed arches, and how the Gothic was eventually replaced by the Renaissance style. The style that eventually replaced the Renaissance was known as Baroque. But if the previous styles are easy to recognize by certain signs, then Baroque is not.

The fact is that from the Renaissance until almost the present day, architects used the same basic forms - columns, pilasters, cornices, entablatures, and mouldings, which were originally copied from the remains of classical buildings. Therefore, in a sense, it can be said that the Renaissance style in architecture has survived from the time of Brunelleschi to the present day, and in many books on architecture, this entire period is called the Renaissance.

On the other hand, it is only natural that tastes and fashions in architecture should have changed considerably over such a long period, and it is therefore convenient to have different names to distinguish these changes in style. It is a curious fact that many of these designations, which to us are simply names of styles, were originally swear words or derisive words.

The word "Gothic" was first used by Italian Renaissance art historians to designate a style they considered barbaric, which they believed had been brought to Italy by the Goths. The word "Mannerism" still retains its original meaning of affectation and superficial imitation, of which 17th-century critics accused artists of the late 16th century. The word "Baroque" was a term used by later critics who opposed and sought to ridicule the trends of the 17th century.

Baroque actually means 'absurd' or 'grotesque,' and was used by those who insisted that the forms of classical buildings should never be used or combined except in the manner of the Greeks and Romans. The disregard for the strict rules of ancient architecture, these critics believed, was a regrettable loss of taste, and they therefore called the style "baroque."

In the end, The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich is a recommended read for anyone looking for a clear, compact, and interesting history that begins with cave paintings at Lascaux and explores how art has influenced the modern world.

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3. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
4. Charles Dickens, author of: A Christmas Carol.
5. Bill Bryson, author of the Bill Bryson Travel Books.

E.H. Gombrich: F.A.Q