Description
Book SynopsisTo the question of "what is art?", it is often simply responded that art is whatever is produced by the artist. For John Molyneux, this clearly circular answer is deeply unsatisfying. In a tour de force spanning renaissance Italy and the Dutch Republic to contemporary leading figures, The Dialectics of Art instead approaches its subject matter as a distinct field of creative human labour that emerges alongside and in opposition to the alienation and commodification brought about by capitalism. The pieces and individuals Molyneux examines -- from Michelangelo’s Slaves to Rembrandts Jewish Bride to the vast drip paintings of Jackson Pollock – are presented as embodying the social contradictions of their times, giving art an inherently political relevance.
In its relationship of creative and dialectical tension to prevailing social relationships and norms, such art points beyond the existing order of things, hinting at a potential future society not based on alienated labour in which creative production becomes the property and practice of all.
Trade Review'The Dialectics of Art by John Molyneux is a reflection on the role played by the visual arts in Western society, from the Renaissance up to the present day, a reflection that is unapologetically Marxist in character. However, I urge the reader not to be turned off by that.' - Dublin Review of Books
‘This book is written with less emphasis on resolving theoretical disputes in the seminar room and more on the role culture can play in activating and articulating political struggle.’ – Marx & Philosophy Review of Books
‘For those interested in social change and the importance of art as a challenge to the alienating core of capitalism, The Dialectics of Art is an excellent place to start.’ – New Politics Journal
Table of ContentsIntroduction
What is art?
How we judge art
Michelangelo and Human Emancipation
Rembrandt and Revolution
Picasso: Les Desmoiselles D’Avignon
Sensation Exhibition
Tracey Emin
Short Reviews: Jackson Pollock; Andy Warhol; Francis Bacon; Rubens
The Liberty Of Appearing: Yasser Alwan
How Art Develops
Dialectics of Modernism
Conclusion
