Technicians of Ecstasy: Shamanism and the Modern Artist [Paperback]

Mark Levy (Author), Ruth-Inge Heinze (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993

This book grew, in part, out of an undergraduate course Dr. Levy taught at the San Francisco Art Institute. Finding that students were still subscribing to the 19th-century bohemian myth that to have a vision, one had to, in the words of Rimbaud, "systematically derange" one's senses, he attempted to expose them to an alternative myth that is more positive -- a myth rooted in the grounded practice of shamanic techniques.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Mark Levy's meaty scholarship and lucid interpretations demonstrate the power and the centrality of the shamanic mindset in modern and contemporarty art. He argues convincingly for the continuing importance of the artist-as-shaman in these supposedly rational times. As Levy insists art heals and reveals that which science cannot

Product Details

• Paperback: 364 pages
• Publisher: Bramble Books; First Edition edition (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962618446
• ISBN-13: 978-0962618444
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-researched and academically argued, August 12, 2001

By 

Jamie Brunson (Oakland, California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Technicians of Ecstasy: Shamanism and the Modern Artist (Paperback)

Although the casual reader (that is, a lazy reader looking for easy, New-Agey content) might find Levy's book too rigorous and academic, I felt that he was scrupulous and thorough in making a case for his theory that many contemporary artists use traditional shamanic techniques to achieve the spiritual and metaphysical content in their work. The profiles of individual artists and their specific uses of certain techniques or processes was especially illuminating, and I appreciated the fact that he included seminal figures like Joseph Beuys and performance artists like Karen Finley-- whose radical content sometimes obscures the powerful social critique it carries. Levy was clear in revealing how work by an individual can heal or benefit an audience of viewers or an entire community. The sections in the back of the book wherein he describes specific shamanic techniques in detail for those who want to experiment with them was especially valuable. Contrary to what another reviewer wrote, there was nothing spacey, indulgent or Druidic about this scholarly work!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SPLENDID SURVEY!, August 12, 2001

By 

Lanier Graham (Hayward, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Technicians of Ecstasy: Shamanism and the Modern Artist (Paperback)

TECHNICIANS OF ECSTASY: SHAMANISM & THE MODERN ARTIST by Mark Levy

A Review by Lanier Graham, Director, University Art Gallery California State University, Hayward

What is the relationship between shamanic art and Modern art? Until recently, most people in the art world would have answered: "little or none." Specialists have known for a long time that the relationship actually is very important. But the literature has been small, largely because most art historians have not known enough about shamanism to discuss it in critical terms. Levy is an exception, and his book is an excellent introduction to the subject. There are good reasons why his book has received very positive reviews from noted authorities on shamanism. Not only is he an unusually well-informed art historian, he also has studied the shamanic tradition extensively with highly respected teachers.

Levy guides us to the origins of Modernism among the Symbolist poets and painters when Mallarmé was arguing for the shamanic spirit of Orphism, and when Rimbaud and van Gogh were engaged in private, painful "vision quests" in their secular search for the sacred. Few artists regarded tribal art as beautiful until Gauguin, the Fauves, and the Expressionists looked with new eyes. Picasso and the Cubists also were moved by shamanic art, but their interest was primarily formal. Not until the Surrealists did modern artists look for the shamanic psychology behind the forms. By the era of Abstract Expressionism in the 1940s & `50s, a large number of leading artists were starting to compare themselves to shamans. The curtain between worlds was being lifted.

With the development of Postmodernism in the second half of the 20th century, Neo-shamanism spread to the far corners of the contemporary art world. In a series of penetrating profiles, Levy focuses on semi-shamanic techniques used by a variety of visual and performing artists who do not have the arrogance to call themselves "shamans," but have drawn on the wisdom of our tribal ancestors to bring rays of light into a dark world. The artists discussed offer important clues to how art can help us through the poisoning clouds of self-centered rationalism toward a fuller, richer humanity.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enthralling, well written subject, August 16, 2001

By 

Kelli George (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Technicians of Ecstasy: Shamanism and the Modern Artist (Paperback)

I found Mr. Levy's work on shamanic techniqes as it applies to contempoary artists particularly fascinating. His research navigates the theory that mondern artists (visual as well as performance) such as Van Gogh, Kahlo, Dali and others were able to produce the transcendental content of their work through classic shamanic practices. Mr. Levy clearly illustrates the multiplicity of the creative process therein giving reverence and relevance to shamanic techniqes and towards the comprehension and appreciation of modern art. A must read for any art appreciator!