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What does ‘knowing’ mean? Otto Pächt hears Moritz Schlick

Czwik, Barbara (2023) What does ‘knowing’ mean? Otto Pächt hears Moritz Schlick. Journal of Art Historiography (29s2). ISSN 2042-4752

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URL of Published Version: https://arthistoriography.wordpress.com/number-29s2-december-2023/

Identification Number/DOI: 10.48352/uobxjah.00004349

Abstract

This article outlines an approach to a manuscript by the art historian Otto Pächt, which engages with the theories of the physicist and philosopher Moritz Schlick. The focus is primarily on Pächt’s exploration of the question, ‘What means Knowing?’. It is argued that Pächt drew significant implications for his art-historical work from Schlick’s ideas. Schlick’s lectures not only encouraged Pächt to consolidate art history as an exactly distinct discipline within the concept of ‘Wissenschaftliche Weltauffassung’, but he also influenced his understanding of determining artistic ‘quality’ in a historical context, his scientific approach to artworks, and his notion of modern ‘representation theory’ in the scope of the image theory. Moreover, Otto Pächt’s fundamental conflict with none other than Ernst Gombrich is not least due to his commitment to Moritz Schlick.

In times when the possibility of perceiving reality has become increasingly dubious and ‘storytelling’ has become a buzzword in this sense, Pächt’s manuscript is, on the contrary, a resource of thought-provoking impulses. Following him requires limiting art history as an explanatory discipline or renouncing the claim to create ‘reality’.

Type of Work:Article
School/Faculty:Colleges (2008 onwards) > College of Arts & Law
Department:Department of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies
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Date:December 2023
Keywords:Otto Pächt, Moritz Schlick, logic, knowledge, New Vienna School of art history, gestalt psychology, art historiography, image theory
Subjects:N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general
Copyright Status:Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. Authors may subsequently archive and publish the pdfs as produced by the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings. Copyright restrictions apply to the use of any images contained within the articles. This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
ID Code:4349
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