An Examination of the Role of Astrological Images in Aby Warburg’s Bilderatlas Mnemosyne (1929) in an Analysis of Three Panels (Panels 23a, 24, and 50- 51)

Left unfinished at the time of his death in 1929, German art historian Aby Warburg’s (1866-1929) Bilderatlas Mnemosyne (hereafter the Atlas) was a large-scale project that utilized a variety of images, from 2000 BCE to 1929 CE, to demonstrate Warburg’s innovative approach to art history (‘new art history’). His new conceptualization of the study integrated a variety of disciplines and primary sources, outside of artistic works, to better understand the evolution of cultural and social contexts surrounding the artist. This is expressed in the Atlas via images of scientific advancements, the progression of artistic skill and medium, and social trends around religious and magical beliefs. Astrological images also featured greatly in his project, appearing on thirty-six of the sixty-three panels, despite Warburg’s disavowal of the astrological practice. This talk will present my close examination of three panels, Panels 23a, 24, and 50-51, to determine what role astrological images provided for the Atlas, despite Warburg’s own stated beliefs. This research surveyed images within the Atlas alongside Warburg’s published writings and personal letters, particularly his 1920 paper ‘Pagan-Antique Prophecy in Words and Images in the Age of Luther’, which contrasted the popularity of astrology in the 16th century against the religious leader’s skepticism of its practice. This research utilized the philosophical lens of Gilles Deleuze (1925-1995) and Félix Guattari’s (1930-1992) rhizome theory, under which the panels’ astrological images made a lateral web of connections throughout the epochs of time and differing disciplines Warburg explored in the Atlas. The multitude of connections made visible by this lens indicated that astrological images demonstrated Warburg’s concepts for his distinctly interdisciplinary ‘new art history’. The research’s analysis of Warburg’s writings presented a clear parallel that Warburg drew between himself and the skeptic Luther: in and of a world steeped in astrological belief, forced to contend with its influence and disprove its superstitions. The analysis further revealed astrological images’ ability to specifically act as a gauge in which Warburg could assess the socio-psychological status of society throughout history through astrology’s multivalent and multidisciplinary evolutions over time.

Speakers
Emily Robinson

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INSAP 2024

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