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Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy pp 1–7Cite as

Warburg, Aby

Born: June 13, 1866: Hamburg

Died: October 26, 1929: Hamburg

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Abstract

Aby Warburg (1866–1929) dedicated his career to studying the Nachleben der Antike (afterlife of antiquity) in Renaissance art and thought. Inventor of iconology as an art-historical method, Warburg later explored other, more experimental methods of making visible what he called the “pathos-formulas” that fueled Renaissance culture. Warburg’s studies of astrological images in the Renaissance, together with his interest in images from Renaissance popular culture, are emblematic of his ambition to create a broad Kulturwissenschaft (cultural science). Warburg’s thought and methods have influenced thinkers in many disciplines, from art history to philosophy. The library he founded in Hamburg, now the Warburg Institute in London, is another crucial, vital aspect of his legacy.

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References

Primary Literature

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Warburg Institute, London, UK

    Christopher D. Johnson

Authors
  1. Christopher D. Johnson
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Correspondence to Christopher D. Johnson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia Dept. of Philosophy a. Cultural Heritage, Venezia, Italy

    Marco Sgarbi

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Literary Studies, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Teodoro Katinis Ph.D.

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Johnson, C.D. (2018). Warburg, Aby. In: Sgarbi, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Renaissance Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_596-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02848-4_596-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-02848-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-02848-4

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