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Hegel & History

Hegel, ‘The Father of Art History’?

Michael Squire scrutinises Hegel’s historical ideas about aesthetics.

Mention the name ‘Hegel’ among art historians, and you’ll likely be met with a blank expression, or else with fear and trepidation. Love him or loathe him, Hegel has proven to be one of the most influential thinkers of Western academe. But working in an age before the subject divisions of modern-day universities, Hegel practised something that went way beyond ‘philosophy’ alone. For my money, he is the ultimate interdisciplinary thinker.

What we today call ‘art history’ was fundamental to Hegel’s project.

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