Mnemosyne. A Concept of Social Memory in the Writings of Aby Warburg

Abstract

The role of the ancient Pathosformeln in post-mediaeval art and civilisation and vicisitudes of the Olimpian gods in the astrological tradition illustrate two main strands of Warburg̓s scholary concern. The concept of social memory which preserves primeval energies provides a framework for his work. Man̓s primordial reaction to the universal terror of his existence underlies all human attempts at spiritual orientation. For Warburg symbol was a result of Denkraum der Besonnenheit (space for reflection) between the self and the outer world. Social Mneme, preserving polarized images charged with the primitive energies, can play an important part in a process of „Orientation” of man. In his last work, the picture atlas called Mnemosyne, Warburg tried to illustrate the problem of historical consciousness of man.