First published 2023
Joaquín Lorda, recognized as one of Ernst Gombrich's finest students, tackles the monumental task of systematizing his mentor's theoretical contributions to art history. Originally published in Spanish as "una teoría del arte" in 1991, this marks the first English translation of Lorda's comprehensive examination. The author constructs his analysis around four central concepts: Science, Joke, Play, and Rhetoric. He traces Gombrich's intellectual exchanges with major thinkers including Huizinga, Freud, Hegel, and Popper, weaving these influences into a coherent framework. Unlike previous scholarship that examined fragments of Gombrich's work, Lorda surveys the entirety of his writings to create something new: a practical theoretical instrument. This systematic approach reveals fresh perspectives on Gombrich as an intellectual figure while producing a functional theory that scholars and practitioners can apply to both historical analysis and contemporary work in art and architecture.
Genres: biography, art, non-fiction, criticism, art-history, academic
Vibes: academic, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, intellectual-biography
Period: 20th-century
608 pages · Hardcover · Edinburgh University Press