From symbol to allegory: Aby Warburg's theory of art

Abstract

This paper argues for a reevaluation of Aby Warburg by attending to the theoretical concerns underpinning his study of the Renaissance. It argues that Warburg's oeuvre has an overarching perspective, namely, an engagement with the emergence of specifically “modern” culture based on rationalization and the “disenchantment” of nature. This suggests parallels with Max Weber, Ferdinand Tönnies, and others. Consequently, Warburg appears as more than a gatherer of philological, historical, and art historical information. Instead, his work takes its place among the widespread and influential philosophical, anthropological, and cultural-theoretical analyses of modernity dominating early twentieth-century German intellectual life. © 1997, College Art Association of America, Inc.