Kunstwollen in Defence of Artistic Diversity: Echoes of Alois Riegl’s Theory in Latvian Art Writing in the First Half of the 20th Century

Stella Pelše
Art Academy of Latvia Institute of Art History, Riga
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9849-9959

Volume 9, October 2025

Abstract

This article explores the use and interpretation of the Austrian art historian Alois Riegl’s theoretical ideas, particularly his concept of Kunstwollen, or artistic will, in Latvia from the turn of the 20th century until the 1930s. Initially, around the beginning of the 1920s, the concept was used mainly to defend non-classical art against conservative views in a rather polemical manner. Later, however, Riegl’s work was incorporated into more scholarly studies dealing with ancient art, the general history of art, or the local archaeological heritage. No direct followers of Riegl emerged in Latvia, as local authors combined his ideas with those of other prominent art historians and theoreticians of the time.

Keywords

Alois Riegl, Kunstwollen, Latvia, art writing, Boris Wipper

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