Principles of Art History: The Problem of the Development of Style in Early Modern Art, One Hundredth Anniversary Edition

Heinrich Wölfflin's Principles of Art History, a revolutionary attempt to construct a science of art through the study of the development of style, has been a foundational work of formalist art history since it was first published in 1915. At once systematic and subjective, and remarkable for its compelling descriptions of works of art, Wölfflin's text has endured as an accessible yet rigorous approach to the study of style. Although Wölfflin's applied his analysis to objects of early modern European art, the Principles has been a fixture in the theoretical and methodological , debates of the discipline of art history and has found a global audience. With translations in twenty-four languages and many reprints, the Principles may be the most widely read and translated book of art history ever. This new English translation, appearing one hundred years after the original publication, returns readers to Wölfflin's 1915 text and images. It also includes the first English translations of the prefaces and afterword that Wölfflin himself added to later editions. Introductory essays provide a historical and critical framework, referencing debates engendered by the Principles in the twentieth century, for a renewed reading of the text in the twenty-first century.