Rudolf Eitelberger
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Eitelberger, full name Rudolf Eitelberger von Edelberg (17 April 1817, Olomouc
, Moravia
– 18 April 1885, Vienna
) was an art historian
and the first Ordinarius (full professor) for art history at the University of Vienna
. He is considered as the founder of the Vienna School of Art History
.
at University of Olomouc. From 1839 through 1848 he was a lecturer in philology at the University of Vienna. In the meantime he educated himself in the history of art, mounting an exhibit of old master paintings in 1846 and serving as a Privatdozent (private lecturer) in art history.
Eitelberger was a committed reformist throughout the Vormärz
, and during the events of 1848
served as the editor of the Wiener Zeitung, a pro-revolutionary literary journal. He was particularly concerned with the role of art history in the education of artists; also in 1848 he published a polemic against the pedagogical methods of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller
, at that time director of the Academy of Fine Arts
. After the failure of the revolution, in 1850, Eitelberger delivered a series of lectures on art history, the first of which was entitled "Die Bildungsanstalten für Künstler und ihre historische Entwicklung" ("Institutions for the education of artists and their historical development").
Eitelberger's activities attracted the attention of the Austrian Minister for Religion and Education, Count Leopold Thun-Hohenstein, who attempted to secure him a position as professor of art history at the University. However, Eitelberger's theories and political activity remained controversial, and his appointment was initially vetoed by Emperor Franz Joseph
. Thun resumbitted his petition, and on 5 November 1852 Eitelberger was named Professor für Kunstgeschichte und Kunstarchäologie (Professor of the History of Archhaeology of Art) at the University of Vienna. He thus became one of the first professors of art history in Europe. Gustav Friedrich Waagen
had been appointed to a similar chair at the Humboldt University of Berlin
in 1844, and the appointment of Eitelberger may have represented a Habsburg attempt to keep pace with the cultural policies of Prussia
.
Eitelberger's activities as professor embraced both scholarly and practical, educational endeavors. Together with Gustav Heider he published a two-volume corpus of the Mittelalterliche Kunstdenkmäler des österreichischen Kaiserstaates (Medieval monuments of the Austrian Empire), and in 1871 he founded the series Quellenschriften für Kunstgeschichte (Source Texts for Art History).
In the practical realm, Eitelberger and Jakob Falke co-founded in 1864 the k.k. Österreichisches Museum für Kunst und Industrie (Imperial Austrian Museum for Art and Industry), today the Österreichisches Museum für angewandte Kunst (Austrian Museum for Applied Art), which was inspired by the South Kensington Museum
in London
. In 1868 he founded the museum's educational component, the Kunstgewerbeschule
, today the Universität für angewandte Kunst (University for Applied Art).
, Franz Wickhoff
, and Alois Riegl
. Eitelberger's simultaneous interest in the historical context of objects, expressed in his series of Quellenschriften, also became a hallmark of the Vienna School, and was pursued in particular by Julius von Schlosser.
Eitelberger's commitment to the training of contemporary artists, and his insistence on the importance of the art of the past for art of the present, rendered him a central figure in the historicist movement in 19th-century Austria. He conceived art history and the practice of art as a unity, a principle expressed in his maxim: "He who wishes to pursue art history must possess a natural inclination towards art itself."
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
, Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
– 18 April 1885, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) was an art historian
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 the first Ordinarius (full professor) for art history at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
. He is considered as the founder of the Vienna School of Art History
Vienna School of Art History
The Vienna School of Art History is a collective term used to describe the development of fundamental art-historical methods at the University of Vienna...
.
Life
Eitelberger, the son of a military officer, studied law and the Romance languagesRomance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
at University of Olomouc. From 1839 through 1848 he was a lecturer in philology at the University of Vienna. In the meantime he educated himself in the history of art, mounting an exhibit of old master paintings in 1846 and serving as a Privatdozent (private lecturer) in art history.
Eitelberger was a committed reformist throughout the Vormärz
Vormärz
' is the time period leading up to the failed March 1848 revolution in the German Confederation. Also known as the Age of Metternich, it was a period of Austrian and Prussian police states and vast censorship in response to calls for liberalism...
, and during the events of 1848
Revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas
From March 1848 through July 1849, the Habsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by revolutionary movements. Much of the revolutionary activity was of a nationalist character: the empire, ruled from Vienna, included Austrian Germans, Hungarians, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Ruthenians,...
served as the editor of the Wiener Zeitung, a pro-revolutionary literary journal. He was particularly concerned with the role of art history in the education of artists; also in 1848 he published a polemic against the pedagogical methods of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller
Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller
Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller was an Austrian painter and writer.He briefly attended the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, but later had to finance his life by painting portraits. In 1811 he worked as a teacher of arts for the children of Count Gyulay in Croatia...
, at that time director of the Academy of Fine Arts
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna is an institution of higher education in Vienna, Austria.- History :The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna was founded in 1692 as a private academy by the court-painter Peter Strudl, who became the Praefectus Academiae Nostrae. In 1701 he was ennobled as Baron of the Empire...
. After the failure of the revolution, in 1850, Eitelberger delivered a series of lectures on art history, the first of which was entitled "Die Bildungsanstalten für Künstler und ihre historische Entwicklung" ("Institutions for the education of artists and their historical development").
Eitelberger's activities attracted the attention of the Austrian Minister for Religion and Education, Count Leopold Thun-Hohenstein, who attempted to secure him a position as professor of art history at the University. However, Eitelberger's theories and political activity remained controversial, and his appointment was initially vetoed by Emperor Franz Joseph
Franz Joseph I of Austria
Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, King of Croatia, Apostolic King of Hungary, King of Galicia and Lodomeria and Grand Duke of Cracow from 1848 until his death in 1916.In the December of 1848, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria abdicated the throne as part of...
. Thun resumbitted his petition, and on 5 November 1852 Eitelberger was named Professor für Kunstgeschichte und Kunstarchäologie (Professor of the History of Archhaeology of Art) at the University of Vienna. He thus became one of the first professors of art history in Europe. Gustav Friedrich Waagen
Gustav Friedrich Waagen
Gustav Friedrich Waagen was a German art historian.Waagen was born in Hamburg, the son of a painter and nephew of the poet Ludwig Tieck. Having passed through the college of Hirschberg, he volunteered for service in the Napoleonic campaign of 1813-1814, and on his return attended the lectures at...
had been appointed to a similar chair at the Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
in 1844, and the appointment of Eitelberger may have represented a Habsburg attempt to keep pace with the cultural policies of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
.
Eitelberger's activities as professor embraced both scholarly and practical, educational endeavors. Together with Gustav Heider he published a two-volume corpus of the Mittelalterliche Kunstdenkmäler des österreichischen Kaiserstaates (Medieval monuments of the Austrian Empire), and in 1871 he founded the series Quellenschriften für Kunstgeschichte (Source Texts for Art History).
In the practical realm, Eitelberger and Jakob Falke co-founded in 1864 the k.k. Österreichisches Museum für Kunst und Industrie (Imperial Austrian Museum for Art and Industry), today the Österreichisches Museum für angewandte Kunst (Austrian Museum for Applied Art), which was inspired by the South Kensington Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In 1868 he founded the museum's educational component, the Kunstgewerbeschule
Kunstgewerbeschule
A Kunstgewerbeschule was the old name for an advanced school of applied arts in German-speaking countries. The first such schools were opened in Kassel in 1867 and Berlin and Munich in 1868 with other German towns following. They are now merged into universities....
, today the Universität für angewandte Kunst (University for Applied Art).
Legacy
Eitelberger insisted on the priority of the object in the history of art, and therefore lectured exclusively in the galleries of his museum. This insistence on the close attention to the visual properties of works of art became a characteristic of the Vienna School of Art History, and was continued by Eitelberger's students and successors, Moritz ThausingMoritz Thausing
Moritz Thausing was an Austrian art historian, and counts among the founders of the Vienna School of Art History.- Life :...
, Franz Wickhoff
Franz Wickhoff
Franz Wickhoff was an Austrian art historian, and is considered a member of the Vienna School of Art History. Wickhoff studied at the University of Vienna under Alexander Conze and Moritz Thausing. In 1879 he received a position at the k.k...
, and Alois Riegl
Alois Riegl
Alois Riegl was an Austrian art historian, and is considered a member of the Vienna School of Art History...
. Eitelberger's simultaneous interest in the historical context of objects, expressed in his series of Quellenschriften, also became a hallmark of the Vienna School, and was pursued in particular by Julius von Schlosser.
Eitelberger's commitment to the training of contemporary artists, and his insistence on the importance of the art of the past for art of the present, rendered him a central figure in the historicist movement in 19th-century Austria. He conceived art history and the practice of art as a unity, a principle expressed in his maxim: "He who wishes to pursue art history must possess a natural inclination towards art itself."
Works
- Die Reform des Kunstunterrichts und Professor Waldmüllers Lehrmethode (Vienna, 1848).
- Cividale in Friaul und seine Monumente (Vienna, 1857).
- Mittelalterliche Kunstdenkmale des österreichischen Kaiserstaates, two volumes (Vienna, 1858-60).
- Die preisgekrönten Entwürfe zur Erweiterung der inneren Stadt Wien: mit sieben in der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Hof- und Staatsdruckerei in Farbendruck ausgeführten Plänen und einem erläuternden Texte (Vienna, 1859).
- Editor, Quellenschriften für Kunstgeschichte und Kunsttechnik des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit, 18 volumes (Vienna, 1871-1908).
- Gesammelte kunsthistorische Schriften, four volumes (Vienna, 1879-94).