Pierre Francastel facts for kids
Pierre Francastel (born June 8, 1900, died January 2, 1970) was a French art historian. He was well-known for his special way of studying art. This method used ideas from sociology, which is the study of how people live and interact in groups.
A Life Dedicated to Art
Pierre Francastel first studied literature at the Sorbonne University in Paris. He also worked on preserving old buildings at Versailles. While doing this, he researched the sculptures at Versailles for his doctoral degree. In 1928, he published a book about a 17th-century French sculptor named François Girardon.
In 1930, Pierre became the director of the Institut français in Warsaw. Later, in 1936, he became a professor at the University in Strasbourg. In 1948, he became the first professor of the Sociology of Art. This was at a special school in Paris called the École pratique des hautes études.
How Art Connects with Society
Francastel studied art from both the 17th and 19th centuries in France. His main way of thinking was based on sociology. He was greatly influenced by the ideas of Émile Durkheim, a famous sociologist. Francastel believed that art is deeply connected to how society works.
He also focused on how space, both real and imagined, is important in art. This idea later became very popular among other scholars. Two of his most important books show his view that art is part of social life. These books are Art et Sociologie (1948) and Peinture et Société (1951). They explain how art is both shaped by society and helps create social relationships.
Key Works
- Girardon. Biographie et catalogue critiques, l’œuvre complète de l’artiste (Paris, 1928)
- La sculpture de Versailles. Essai sur les origines et l’évolution du gout français classique (Paris, 1930)
- Art et Technique aux 19e et 20e siècles' (Paris, 1956). (English title: Art & Technology in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries)
- La réalité figurative : éléments structurels de sociologie de l'art (Paris, 1965)
See also
In Spanish: Pierre Francastel para niños
