Call for Papers
The Future of Art History in the Context of New Discoveries of Psychology and the Cognitive Sciences
Guest Editor: David Carrier
In March 2009, an important conference, "E. H. Gombrich auf dem Weg zu einer Bildwissenschaft des 21.Jahrhunderts" was held in Greifswald, Germany, on the centenary of Gombrich’s birth. The work of this seminal 20th century art historian and art critic relied upon the psychology of his day---many of his references to the scientific literature dated to the 1950s. However by the 1980s, many younger art historians were no longer engaged by his ways of thinking. Feminists, modernists, multi-cultural thinkers, queer studies scholars---all had their issues with Gombrich.
Gombrich, like all of us, was a person of his own time. But one result of the late-20th-century shift in how art historical research was conducted was that most scholars resisted any attempt to ground analysis in the study of psychology.
This, then, is a call for submissions exploring the theme “The Future of Art History in the Context of New Discoveries of Psychology and the Cognitive Sciences.” We are interested not in purely historical perspectives, but in research looking to the future: What are the most promising new approaches? How can they aid our understanding of visual art? We are interested both in general programmatic statements and in innovative accounts of individual works of art.
Knowing the importance of this topic, and the fact that all interesting claims are sure to be highly controversial, we welcome friendly, engaged debate.
Deadline: This is a three-year project. Manuscripts will be considered on an ongoing basis until 2014.
Submissions: Send manuscript proposals to
Author Instructions: www.leonardo.info/isast/journal/editorial/edguides.html.
Uploaded 23 October 2003. Updated 14 October 2009
