V. Gordon Childe and Arnold Hauser on the social origins of the artist

Berryman, J. (2022) V. Gordon Childe and Arnold Hauser on the social origins of the artist. Thesis Eleven, 168(1), pp. 21-36. (doi: 10.1177/07255136211053384)

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Abstract

Vere Gordon Childe’s theory of craft specialisation was an important influence on Arnold Hauser’s book The Social History of Art, published in 1951. Childe’s Marxist interpretation of prehistory enabled Hauser to establish a material foundation for the occupation of the artist in Western art history. However, Hauser’s effort to construct a progressive basis for artistic labour was complicated by art’s ancient connections to religion and superstition. While the artist’s social position and class loyalties were ambiguous in Childe’s accounts of early civilisations, Hauser consigned artists to the lower echelons of society. This relegation did not imply that Hauser had a low regard for artistic skills. Quite the opposite, the artist’s inferior social status enabled Hauser to distance artists from the ruling class, and consequently, to separate artistic handiwork from the dominant ideology that works of art manifested.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Berryman, Dr Jim
Authors: Berryman, J.
College/School:College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > Information Studies
Journal Name:Thesis Eleven
Publisher:SAGE Publications
ISSN:0725-5136
ISSN (Online):1461-7455
Published Online:08 November 2021
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2022 SAGE Publications
First Published:First published in Thesis Eleven 168(1):21-36
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

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