Hubert Damisch
Encyclopedia
Born in 1928, Hubert Damisch is a French philosopher specialised in aesthetics
and art history
, and professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris from 1975 until 1996.
Damisch studied at the Sorbonne with Maurice Merleau-Ponty
and, later, with Pierre Francastel
. In 1967 he founded the Cercle d’histoire/théorie de l’art that would later become the CEHTA (Centre d'histoire et théorie des arts) at the EHESS.
Damisch has written extensively on the history and theory of painting
, architecture
, photography
, cinema
, theatre
, and the museum
. His works are landmark references for a theory of visual representations.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
and art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
, and professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris from 1975 until 1996.
Damisch studied at the Sorbonne with Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Karl Marx, Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger in addition to being closely associated with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir...
and, later, with Pierre Francastel
Pierre Francastel
Pierre Francastel was a French art historian, best known for his use of sociological method.Francastel's initial period of study was in literature, at the Sorbonne...
. In 1967 he founded the Cercle d’histoire/théorie de l’art that would later become the CEHTA (Centre d'histoire et théorie des arts) at the EHESS.
Damisch has written extensively on the history and theory of painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, and the museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
. His works are landmark references for a theory of visual representations.
Selected books in French
- 1966 : Alexandres Iolas (éd.), Hubert Damisch, lettre à Matta. Matta, lettre à Hubert Damisch, New York, Genève, Milan, Paris.
- 1972 : Théorie de la peinture. Pour une histoire de la peinture, Paris, Seuil.
- 1972 : Théorie du nuage : pour une histoire de la peinture, Paris, Seuil, 1972.
- 1974 : Huit thèses pour (ou contre ?) une semiologie de la peinture.
- 1976 : Ruptures/Cultures. Paris, Éditions du Minuit, 1976.
- 1984 : Fenêtre jaune cadmium ou les Dessous de la peinture. Paris, Seuil, 1984.
- 1987 : L’origine de la perspective. Paris, Flammarion, 1987.
- 1992 : Le jugement de Pâris. Iconologie analytique, I, Paris, Flammarion, 1992.
- 1993 : L’Art est-il nécessaire ?.
- 1993 : Américanisme et modernité. L'idéal américain dans l'architecture (co-directeur avec Jean-Louis Cohen), Paris, EHESS-Flammarion, 448 p. Lire le compte-rendu.
- 1995 : Traité du trait: tractatus tractus, Paris, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, 1995.
- 1997 : Skyline. La ville narcisse, Paris, Seuil, 1996.
- 1997 : Un "souvenir d'enfance" par Piero della Francesca. Paris, Seuil, 1997. http://lyflol.blog.lemonde.fr/lyflol/2005/01/hubert_damish.html
- 1999 : Hubert Damisch et Jacqueline Salmon, Villa Noailles, Marval.
- 2000 : L’amour m'expose. Le projet Moves, Bruxelles, Y. Gevaert, 2000 [rééd., Paris, Klincksieck, 2007].
- 2001 : La Dénivelée. À l'épreuve de la photographie, Paris, Seuil, 2001.
- 2001 : La peinture en écharpe: Delacroix, la photographie, Paris, Klincksieck, 2001.
- 2004 : Voyage à Laversine, Paris, Seuil, 2004.
- 2008 : Ciné fil, Paris, Seuil, 2008.
Books in English
- 1994 : The origin of perspective; translated by John Goodman. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 1994. ISBN 0262041391
- 1996 : The judgment of Paris; translated by John Goodman. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1996. ISBN 0226135101, 0226135128.
- 1997 : Moves: playing chess and cards with the museum/Moves: schaken en kaarten met het museum; with an essay by Ernst van Alphen. Rotterdam : Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, 1997. ISBN 9069181843.
- 2001 : Skyline: the narcissistic city; translated by John Goodman. Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0804732450, 0804732469.
- 2002 : A theory of /cloud/ : toward a history of painting; translated by Janet Lloyd. Stanford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0804734399, 0804734402
- 2007 : A childhood memory by Piero della Francesca; translated by John Goodman. Stanford University Press, 2007. ISBN 0804734410, 0804734429.
Critical influence
- Baetens J. Exposer dans un musée. Une lecture sémiotique à partir du travail d’Hubert Damisch http://www.imageandnarrative.be/graphicnovel/janbaetens_damisch.htm
- Bird J. Hubert Damisch. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2005.
- Cohn, D. (ed.). Y voir mieux, y regarder de plus près: autour d’Hubert Damisch. Paris: Rue d’Ulm, 2003