The Birth of the Amateur

• Autores: Paul Taylor
• Localización: Nuncius: annali di storia della scienza, ISSN 0394-7394, Vol. 31, Nº. 3, 2016, págs. 499-522
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Between the 16th and the 19th centuries the concept of “the amateur” shifted in sense. At the beginning of the period it referred to lovers, either of people or things, but by the end it had come to refer to non-professionals and dilettantes. This article traces the change in the word’s meaning, arguing that the shift of sense took place due to economic developments in the art trade. During the course of the seventeenth century the modern art market emerged, in which purchasers acquired art works through a network of dealers, without making contact with artists. This new anonymity of exchange led to resentment on the part of some artists and writers about art, who introduced a distinction between art lovers – amateurs – who knew nothing of art, and art knowers – connoisseurs – who were thought qualified to judge.