E. H. GOMBRICH’S ADOPTION OF THE FORMULA FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY?
E. H. GOMBRICH’S ADOPTION OF THE FORMULA FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION: A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY?
Author(s): Jan MichlSubject(s): Fine Arts / Performing Arts
Published by: Slovenská Akadémia Vied - Kabinet výskumu sociálnej a biologickej komunikácie
Keywords: design theory; “form follows function”; modernism; functionalism; E. H. Gombrich; H. W. Janson
Summary/Abstract: This article is a longer note on what is a minor problem in the oeuvre of a great art historian. Its theme is E. H. Gombrich’s use of the formula form follows function as the summary of his commonsense approach to the problem of style change. Although I am not sure how interesting this inquiry is in an art historical context, from the perspective of my own field of design history and of modernist design theory, Gombrich's adoption of the formula constitutes an intriguing problem.
Journal: Human Affairs
- Issue Year: 2009
- Issue No: 3
- Page Range: 274-288
- Page Count: 15
- Language: English
