Frederick Antal
Encyclopedia
Frederick Antal was a Hungarian art historian, particularly known for his contributions to the social history of art.
"The son of a wealthy Jewish family, Antal completed a law degree then studied art history in Budapest, Freiburg and Paris. In Berlin
he was a student of Heinrich Wölfflin
and in Vienna
under Max Dvorák
. He received his doctorate in art history in 1914 under Dvořák and began his career as a volunteer at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest (1914/1915). In 1916 Antal joined the illustrious discussion group the Sonntagskreis, whose members included intellectuals such as the philosopher Georg Lukács
(1885-1971), the sociologist Karl Mannheim
(1893-1947) and art historians Arnold Hauser (q.v.) and Johannes Wilde.
Soon after the creation of the Hungarian Soviet Republic (March 21, 1919), Antal became Vorsitzender des Direktoriums (Chairman of the Board) at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, where he had assisted in socializing the museum’s private collection and organized a successful exhibit with the help of Otto Benesch. As Vorsitzender of the museum, Antal headed efforts to promote artists and protect national monuments. His tenure ended abruptly after the Counterrevolution of Summer 1919, after which he fled to Vienna.
Partially funded by the University of Berlin, Antal traveled extensively in Italy
from 1919 to1923, spending most of his time in Florence. From 1923-33 Antal was a resident of Berlin, where he collaborated with Bruno Fürst (1891-1965) as editor (1926-34) of the periodical Kritische Berichte zur kunstgeschichtlichen Literatur, a publication primarily concerned with methodology. In 1932 Antal toured Soviet museums, about which he later lectured (published 1976). He fled the Nazi regime in 1933 and settled in England, where he befriended the art historian Anthony Blunt
, wrote his book Florentine Painting and lectured at the Courtauld Institute. Thereafter, Antal’s interests shifted from classical and romantic French painting and its relation to revolution and restoration to the 18th Century artists Hogarth
and Füssli
. His book manuscripts on these artists were published posthumously.
Antal's Marxist beliefs and reputation as a Communist effectively excluded from the Western academic world as of 1948. At his best, Antal can be seen as blending Aby Warburg
's (q.v.) methodology with a more traditional Marxist view of art. As he continued to write, he increasingly applied the concept of Marxist dialectical materialism
to art history. He suggested that artistic style is primarily an expression of ideology, political beliefs and social class. This methodology
has been criticized as assuming too strong a determination of artistic style by social constructs. Furthermore, Antal was criticized for defining an artist’s identity too narrowly by his patron or benefactor’s social class and thereby neglecting the artist’s subjectivity. The review of Florentine Painting by Millard Meiss in the Art Bulletin (1949) is most illuminating, both of Antal's methodology and of the art establishment's reaction. The critic and art historian John Berger
cited Antal as a major influence on Berger's work."
"The son of a wealthy Jewish family, Antal completed a law degree then studied art history in Budapest, Freiburg and Paris. In Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
he was a student of Heinrich Wölfflin
Heinrich Wölfflin
Heinrich Wölfflin was a famous Swiss art critic, whose objective classifying principles were influential in the development of formal analysis in the history of art during the 20th century. He taught at Basel, Berlin and Munich in the generation that raised German art history to pre-eminence...
and in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
under Max Dvorák
Max Dvorák
Max Dvořák was a Czech-born Austrian art historian...
. He received his doctorate in art history in 1914 under Dvořák and began his career as a volunteer at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest (1914/1915). In 1916 Antal joined the illustrious discussion group the Sonntagskreis, whose members included intellectuals such as the philosopher Georg Lukács
Georg Lukács
György Lukács was a Hungarian Marxist philosopher and literary critic. He is a founder of the tradition of Western Marxism. He contributed the concept of reification to Marxist philosophy and theory and expanded Karl Marx's theory of class consciousness. Lukács' was also an influential literary...
(1885-1971), the sociologist Karl Mannheim
Karl Mannheim
Karl Mannheim , or Károly Mannheim in the original writing of his name, was a Jewish Hungarian-born sociologist, influential in the first half of the 20th century and one of the founding fathers of classical sociology and a founder of the sociology of knowledge.-Life:Mannheim studied in Budapest,...
(1893-1947) and art historians Arnold Hauser (q.v.) and Johannes Wilde.
Soon after the creation of the Hungarian Soviet Republic (March 21, 1919), Antal became Vorsitzender des Direktoriums (Chairman of the Board) at the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, where he had assisted in socializing the museum’s private collection and organized a successful exhibit with the help of Otto Benesch. As Vorsitzender of the museum, Antal headed efforts to promote artists and protect national monuments. His tenure ended abruptly after the Counterrevolution of Summer 1919, after which he fled to Vienna.
Partially funded by the University of Berlin, Antal traveled extensively in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from 1919 to1923, spending most of his time in Florence. From 1923-33 Antal was a resident of Berlin, where he collaborated with Bruno Fürst (1891-1965) as editor (1926-34) of the periodical Kritische Berichte zur kunstgeschichtlichen Literatur, a publication primarily concerned with methodology. In 1932 Antal toured Soviet museums, about which he later lectured (published 1976). He fled the Nazi regime in 1933 and settled in England, where he befriended the art historian Anthony Blunt
Anthony Blunt
Anthony Frederick Blunt , was a British art historian who was exposed as a Soviet spy late in his life.Blunt was Professor of the History of Art at the University of London, director of the Courtauld Institute of Art, Surveyor of the King's Pictures and London...
, wrote his book Florentine Painting and lectured at the Courtauld Institute. Thereafter, Antal’s interests shifted from classical and romantic French painting and its relation to revolution and restoration to the 18th Century artists Hogarth
Hogarth
-People:* Burne Hogarth, American cartoonist, illustrator, educator and author* David George Hogarth, English archaeologist* Donald Hogarth, Canadian politician and mining financier* Paul Hogarth, English painter and illustrator...
and Füssli
Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli was a British painter, draughtsman, and writer on art, of Swiss origin.-Biography:...
. His book manuscripts on these artists were published posthumously.
Antal's Marxist beliefs and reputation as a Communist effectively excluded from the Western academic world as of 1948. At his best, Antal can be seen as blending Aby Warburg
Aby Warburg
Abraham Moritz Warburg, known as Aby Warburg, was a German art historian and cultural theorist who founded a private Library for Cultural Studies, the Kulturwissenschaftliche Bibliothek Warburg, later Warburg Institute...
's (q.v.) methodology with a more traditional Marxist view of art. As he continued to write, he increasingly applied the concept of Marxist dialectical materialism
Dialectical materialism
Dialectical materialism is a strand of Marxism synthesizing Hegel's dialectics. The idea was originally invented by Moses Hess and it was later developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
to art history. He suggested that artistic style is primarily an expression of ideology, political beliefs and social class. This methodology
Methodology
Methodology is generally a guideline for solving a problem, with specificcomponents such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools . It can be defined also as follows:...
has been criticized as assuming too strong a determination of artistic style by social constructs. Furthermore, Antal was criticized for defining an artist’s identity too narrowly by his patron or benefactor’s social class and thereby neglecting the artist’s subjectivity. The review of Florentine Painting by Millard Meiss in the Art Bulletin (1949) is most illuminating, both of Antal's methodology and of the art establishment's reaction. The critic and art historian John Berger
John Berger
John Peter Berger is an English art critic, novelist, painter and author. His novel G. won the 1972 Booker Prize, and his essay on art criticism Ways of Seeing, written as an accompaniment to a BBC series, is often used as a university text.-Education:Born in Hackney, London, England, Berger was...
cited Antal as a major influence on Berger's work."
Writings
- Florentine Painting and its Social Background: The Bourgeois Republic before Cosimo de’ Medici’s Advent to Power: XIV and Early XV Centuries (London, 1948), Reprint: Harvard University Press; 1986, ISBN 0674306686
- Fuseli Studies (London, 1956)
- Hogarth and his Place in European Art (New York, 1962)
- Classicism and Romanticism, with Other Studies in Art History (London, 1966) [includes the essay ‘Remarks on the Method of Art History’]