Customer Reviews

The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985

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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.

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.

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."

I purchased this item back in the early nineties when I was a young painter in school. I poured over its essays and absorbed all I could from the reproductions of the artwork in it. This catalog was one of the first I had ever purchased and it was also a constant presence in my various studios. Then I loaned it to another young, very earnest artist. Finally, nine years later and I've replaced it. Upon rereading portions of it, some of the essays seem dated, if not altogether strained. Be that as it may, this is still a marvelous collection of thoughts and images that attempts to cast new light on some modernity's favored children and dust off a few of it's more neglected relations. I would suggest that if this work appeals to you, then you might enjoy reading much of the work of James Elkins