Alois Riegl’s “Baroque” in the light of selected passages in his unpublished manuscripts

Abstract

This article deals with aspects of Alois Riegl’s investigation of Baroque art in light of selected passages of his still unpublished manuscripts. The analysis of this voluminous corpus, in comparison with Riegl’s posthumous publications on the “origins” of Baroque art, reveals not only a much more comprehensive study of Baroque art, but also a far more complex idea of “Baroque”. The purpose of the article is to advance knowledge about Riegl’s actual contribution to Baroque studies. Particular attention will be paid to both core concepts of Riegl’s analysis of Baroque art and his methodological approach, by highlighting reference models as well as divergences from contemporary research.

Keywords

• alois riegl
• baroque
• manuscripts
• methodology
• vienna school of art history
• kunstwollen
• art historiography