Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in the history of art
history as a discipline, particularly in the work of German-speaking
founders such as Alois Riegl. There is now a solid corpus of scholarship in
which the texts of Riegl, Erwin Panofsky, and members of the Vienna School
of art history have been thoughtfully considered both on their own terms
and in relation to the subsequent development of the discipline.
Occasionally in the literature, one finds passing references to a so-called
expressionist art history tradition, evidenced in certain German language
art historical texts published between approximately 1905 and 1925. While
the rationale behind this descriptor is rarely pursued, the term seems to
be used to indicate the explicitly subjective stance found in such writing.

However, whereas we are familiar with the heightened emotions and formal
liberties taken by expressionist painting, poetry, and theater during this
period, the notion of an expressionist scholarship remains unfamiliar to
most, particularly those working in the English language. Art historians
such as Max Dvorák, Fritz Burger, Ernst Heidrich, Friedrich Rintelen and
Wilhelm Worringer worked at a moment in which the foundations of art
history as a discipline were laid by intellectuals working in German and
Austrian academies.Yet even though the \"expressionists\" were active
during this crucial formative period, and all had successful academic
careers with positions in respected art history programs, their work has
been virtually ignored by current scholars interested in art history\'s own
history. The exception is Worringer, who has received quite a bit of
attention, yet even he is usually regarded as a deviant figure, of interest
more because of the impact his writing had on contemporary artists than for
any value inherent to his scholarship itself. Rintelen, Burger, and
Heidrich have never been translated and are unknown to most
English-speaking art historians. Even Dvorák, who played such a significant
role in the Vienna School, has, with one or two exceptions, hardly
registered in recent historiographic accounts.

This oversight remains puzzling, if only because historiography has become
such a popular subject of study in recent years. Perhaps this neglect stems
from a sense that the expressionists\' analyses seem too personal and
effusive to be considered legitimate examples of art history. We ignore
these texts to our own detriment, however, in part because they seem to
derive their methods from many of the same sources which informed more
normative practices of art history, and thus this marginalized branch of
art history has something to teach us about the development of the
discipline and its defining ideologies. This projected anthology intends to
enrich our understanding of art history\'s development as a discipline, by
including translations by all five authors which have never before appeared
in English, and accompanying these primary texts with critical analyses of
each scholar\'s work. In addition, the goal of the anthology is to function
in the tradition of the best historiographic analyses which, by
investigating the history of art history, encourage us to reflect
thoughtfully on its practice today. It is also hoped that this project will
open up new perspectives on the general intellectual history of the period
as well. Close analysis of these authors\' writings within their historical
and theoretical contexts will likely reveal that expressionist art history
texts register key conceptual trends of the era and, thus, lend insight
into the intellectual preoccupations of Central Europe before and after
World War I.

Those interested in contributing an essay on one of the five expressionist
art historians considered in this project are encouraged to submit 500 word
proposals, along with a curriculum vitae and brief bio. Please also include
a cover letter explaining your interest in the project and your background
in this subject. Ideally, each essay will in some way address the
accompanying translated pieces, so essays are especially encouraged which
either focus on or include references to the following texts:

Fritz Burger, Einführung in die moderne Kunst (1913)
Max Dvorák, \"Tintoretto,\" in Studien zur Kunstgeschichte
Ernst Heidrich, Vlämische Malerei (1913)
Friedrich Rintelen, Giotto und die Giotto-apokryphen (1912)
Wilhelm Worringer, Die altdeutsche Buchillustration (1912)

Abstracts in English and German are welcome, but all final contributions
will be translated into English. Due date for proposals: April 4, 2008.
Notification of inclusion in anthology: April 25, 2008. Completed papers of
5,000-8,0000 words due January 16, 2009.

Initial inquiries are welcome. Abstracts may be sent by email or as hard
copies. Please direct questions and all materials to:

Kimberly A. Smith
Associate Professor of Art History
Southwestern University
Sarofim School of Fine Arts
1001 E. University Avenue
Georgetown, TX 78626
+1 512 863 1349 tel
smithksouthwestern.edu