The spirit of secular art : a history of the sacramental roots of contemporary artistic values

The Spirit of Secular Art: A History of the Sacramental Roots of Contemporary Artistic Values explains the spiritual prestige of art. Various theorists have discussed how art has an aura or indefinable magic. This book explains how, when and why it gained its spiritual properties. The idea that all art is somehow spiritual (even though not religious) is often assumed; this book, while narrating the historical trajectory of art in the most accessible language, reveals how the mysteries of religious practice are abstracted and saved through all stages of secularisation in European culture. The Spirit of Secular Art presents a coherent theory defining the sacred basis of Western aesthetics. It evocatively describes the afterlife of the holy from Ancient Greece to the present, and outlines how the mysterious institution of art can be explained in material terms. Unlike other books in the genre, The Spirit of Secular Art radically deconstructs traditional art history in terms of 'prestige' and the value of the non-material. The book functions as: an alternative critical history of art, integrated with the histories of literature and belief; a philosophical essay on the fundamental values of art and religion; and a critique of the spiritual conceits of contemporary aesthetics and art appreciation. Contents 5 Chapter 1 Secular sacraments and the prestige of art 7 Chapter 2 Mortal theatre 27 Chapter 3 Body and blood 42 Chapter 4 The agonies of spiritual invention 52 Chapter 5 Substance and sublimity 70 Chapter 6 The industrial spirit 88 Chapter 7 Mechanical reproduction 107 Chapter 8 The new and the true 124 Chapter 9 In the name of critique 142 Chapter 10 Globalization of the Indigenous spirit 160 Chapter 11 Conclusion 175 References 178