- Hardcover: 436 pages
- Publisher: Abbeville (April 17 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0896596699
- ISBN-13: 978-0896596696
- Product Dimensions: 26.7 x 26.4 x 3.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 2.1 Kg
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #961,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Library Journal
By demonstrating the huge impact of mysticism and the occult on 20th-century artists from Gauguin to Pollack, Mondrian to O'Keefe, this work effectively refutes the popular fallacy that modernism is concerned solely with line, form, and color. Further, as it examines modernism's complex philosophical origins, it demonstrates that without such impact, abstract art as we know it would not have emerged at all. Seventeen essays, all by distinguished scholars, treat topics as diverse as synesthesia, theosophy, alchemy, hermeticism, Yoga, and Zen, and several overlooked or forgotten artists are given serious consideration. This work, the catalog for an exhibit mounted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, belongs in every serious art library.Mary Hamel-Schwulst, Art Dept., Goucher Coll., Towson, Md.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
The seventeen essays in this provocative book provide a radical rethinking of abstraction, from the Symbolism that prefigured abstract art through the current manifestations of spiritual content in American and European painting.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
the spiritual in art: abstract painting 1890 - 1985,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985 (Paperback)
There is a fantastic quality to the compliation of works in the Spiritual in Art, that indicates a profound understanding of the mystical forces of inspiration involved with the process of artistic endeavor. The book chronicles the exhibition of the same name organized by Maurice Truchman and Judi Freeman at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Many of the major artists of the 20th century are represented; Mondrian, Duchamps and Kandinsky to name a few. The ideosyncratic spin to the show lies in the examination of their work from a philospophical and spiritual standpoint that involves a more involved examination than is often given with the popular criticism styles of art history - ie; socio-political and aesthetic. With the aid of this book, the reader gleans a more profound understanding of the motivational forces at work in these artists whose creations transport viewers to new worlds and dimensions with only a glance.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews) 15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Spiritual in Art - an absolute winner!,
By Cynthia Crisel - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985 (Paperback)
I have owned this book for over twenty years and I never get tired of pouring over it again. It is an absolute treasure trove of information and is packed full of glorious illustrations- it's the one book I refuse to loan out. As an artist, this is the most important book in my collection.
24 of 28 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
the spiritual in art: abstract painting 1890 - 1985,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985 (Paperback)
There is a fantastic quality to the compliation of works in the Spiritual in Art, that indicates a profound understanding of the mystical forces of inspiration involved with the process of artistic endeavor. The book chronicles the exhibition of the same name organized by Maurice Truchman and Judi Freeman at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Many of the major artists of the 20th century are represented; Mondrian, Duchamps and Kandinsky to name a few. The ideosyncratic spin to the show lies in the examination of their work from a philospophical and spiritual standpoint that involves a more involved examination than is often given with the popular criticism styles of art history - ie; socio-political and aesthetic. With the aid of this book, the reader gleans a more profound understanding of the motivational forces at work in these artists whose creations transport viewers to new worlds and dimensions with only a glance.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985,
By Howse - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985 (Paperback)
This book is a great read for anyone that is interested in both art and spirituality. It is "A body of research on the origins of abstract art [and its] connections with occult and mystical belief systems". It is a collaboration of several scholars on the subject of hidden meanings in abstract art. The following selection of quotes give an idea of the tone of the book."It is only when new and strange forms are used because they are necessary to express a spiritual content that the result is a living work of art." "The mystical-occult believer has direct access to the 'source'. There is no need for intermediaries of authorities, as in organized religious institutions. Thus reflection becomes a commonly sought, private activity." "Trace a circle no longer than a dot, the whole birth of Eternal Nature is therein contained." "Spiritually inclined artists sought out other who shared their interests and studied diagrams and texts in original spiritual source material." "In sacred geometry the complexities and abstract truths expressed by geometric forms are linked to mystical tenets." Many big names in modern art are referred to. "[Victor Hugo] conducted seances with his family...[and] recorded his dialogs with Shakespeare, Dante, Aeschylus, and Moliér." "Munch was aware of Swedenborg's belief in seeing auras around people." "Wassily Kandinsky, Frantisek Kupka, Piet Mondrion, and Kazimir Malevich moved toward abstraction through their involvement with spiritual issues and beliefs." Emerson is quoted as saying: "Natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact." "Kandinsky adopted Theosophy's model for his theory: finer emotion consists of vibration, vibration shapes the work of art, the work vibrates, and the soul of the beholders set into vibration." |
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture
- Books > Arts & Photography > History & Criticism
- Books > Arts & Photography > Instructional & How-To
- Books > Arts & Photography > Museums & Collections > Museums > Exhibition Catalogues
- Books > Arts & Photography > Painting
- Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Abstract Expressionism
- Books > Professional & Technical > Architecture
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
