什么是艺术史? 为什么是艺术史?——方闻先生中国艺术史研究札记

What Is Art History? Why Is Art History?

对作品视觉语言的分析和阐释,历来被视为艺术史研究领域中的一个核心命题。在当前跨学科语境中,这一命题被引入到更为复杂的讨论层面:一方面,出于对形式主义学派片面强调形式发展绝对自律性的不满,一种以图像符号为构成元素、以视知觉感受获取信息与解读意义的"视觉文化"理论应运而起;另一方面,在处理"图像"和"语言"两种"文本"的关系上,不同的解读方式又往往被演绎为新、旧艺术史两种传统或范式的对峙。中国艺术史学科的重建,必须突破这种二分法的思维模式,立足于作品的视觉语言分析,遵循以内史为先、内外史有机结合的原则进行。惟有如此,中国艺术史学科才能摆脱目前的困境和危机,从而在人文学科的框架下确立自身的独特品质和存在价值。

The analysis and interpretation of visual language has always been considered as the core problem in art history. In the current interdiscipline context, this problem is introduced into a more complex argument lay. For one thing, the theory of visual culture was born, of which the composition is image symbol and which obtain information and interpretation meaning by visual sense. This owes to the unsatisfactory with unbalanced stress on form by formalist. For another, in the respect of dealing with the relationship between image and language, the different interpretations deduce to confrontation between new and old art histories. The rebuilding of Chinese art history subject must pierce through dichotomy made of thinking, be established in analysis of visual language in works, stick to a principle of inner history first and inner and outer history combining. So the Chinese art history subject can break away from distress and crisis; establish special characteristic and value of its own under the framework of humanities.