October14,2009

DearParticipantsintheTEMSlabon“AlbrechtDurer’sMelancholyMathematics,”WhatIwillpresentisextremelynewandasyetun‐ripenedworkcenteredoninterpretingthemathematicalimageryinAlbrechtDurer’sfamousengravingMelencoliaI(1514).Ihaveincludedanimageoftheengravinghereforyoutolookat.Asmanyofyouknow,thisengravingisoneofthemostfamousinthehistoryofWesternart,andasaresultscholarshiponitisvoluminous.Yettheengravinghasalsobeengivenapowerfulinterpretation,onethatremainscanonicalevenifitisabouttoreachitsninetiethbirthday.Theinterpretation,associatedmostfamouslywiththenameofErwinPanofskybutactuallytheresultofacollaborationbetweenPanofskyandRaymondKlibanskyandFritzSaxl,isalsoapioneeringexampleofthe“iconological”approachtoarthistoricalanalysisthatPanofskyinparticularmadefamous.Thismethodtoohasbecomecanonicalwithinthedisciplineofarthistory,anditmakesthisparticularinterpretationofMelencoliaIallthemoreimportantinthehistoryofart.MyworkengageswithboththepreciseinterpretationofMelencoliaIgivenbyPanofskyet.al.andthefoundingiconologicalmethodthattheirreadingofthisimagebothillustratedandmadeauthoritative.TounderstandwhatIhavetosay,itwillthereforebehelpful,Ithink,ifyouhaveanunderstandingofwhatPanofskydidwiththisimageandhowhisinterpretationisdeveloped.AccordinglyIhaveincludedhereaphotocopyoftherelevantsectionsfromtheKlibansky,Panofsky,andSaxlbook,Dürer’sMelencoliaI.Einequellen­undtypengeschichtlicheUntersuchung,originallypublishedin1923aspartoftheStudienderBibliothekWarburgseries,andthenexpandedandtranslatedintoEnglishasSaturnandMelancholy.StudiesinthehistoryofNaturalPhilosophy,Religion,andArt(NewYork:BasicBooks,1964).Inanidealworld,youwouldallreadallofthesepagesbeforethelabsession,butsinceIknowtherealitiesoftheworldweactuallylivein,Iwouldloveitifthosewithlesstimecouldatleastreadthesecondchapter,called“TheNewMeaningofMelencoliaI,”pp.317‐73.Thosewithevenlesstimecouldstillbeveryhelpfulinreadingonlypp.310‐33.Ifyoucannotreadatall,pleasecomeanywayasIwilltrytosummarizemythoughtsinwaysthatdonotassumeanypriorreading.ThanksinadvanceforyourhelpwiththisandIlookforwardtoourdiscussionon10/22.Allbest,J.B.