Skimming Through the History of Art with a Wide-Angle Lens: Review of Hauser’s Social History of Art

Abstract

Arnold Hauser’s scholarly theories as a master of the sociology of art have sparked a paradigm shift in Western scholarship regarding the study of art history. In Hauser’s first book, The Social History of Art, published in 1951, he was groundbreaking in clarifying the dual determinist position of art, applying classical sociological theorizing to the study of art history. To a certain extent, it dissolves the principle of artistic self-regulation, highlights the materialist-historical perspective, and unmasks the mystery of artistic development. As a central figure in the field of art historical studies who has driven a change in research perspectives, Hauser has contributed to a diversification of perspectives in art historical research and in the process has refined the theoretical system of art sociology, becoming a pioneer in the field of art sociology.