Through literary and lexical citations, the essay problematically
questions the concept of periodization in art history. Going back
to an essay by Giovanni Previtali dedicated to the periodization
of Italian art, the author reflects on the meaning of this denomination, on the etymon of the term itself and on the methodological choices that are at the origin of this historical/conceptual
operation. Given that periodising always implies interpreting,
one wonders whether, in defining the characteristics of a periodisation, one cannot recall the concept of paradigm as used by the
philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn; when he uses the word
paradigm to refer to “universally recognised scientific achievements which, over a certain period of time, provide a model of
problems and solutions acceptable to those practising a certain
field of research”(Treccani online s.v.). A hypothesis that, as far
as art history is concerned, should be related to the indispensable cultural-historical contexts.
