Customer Reviews

The Voices of Silence

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It's a long time since I re-read this work. Recently, for work, I've needed to dip into it. The insights fly from the pages. In fact the pages themselves fly from the volume I have as its far from the quality production such a collection warrants: a museum without covers?? Whatever, Malraux's insightful gems often lose directional thread in his impestuous, rambling style. He's what once was termed an aesthete, rather than a scholar. So don't go looking for deep analytic appraisals of particular works or of an artist or culture. And his insights presume you are acquainted with the subject under discussion. If you have a reasonable grounding in the visual arts, the book will provide revelations. The TV series made in his Paris flat in the 1970s is much better at getting a grip on the man.

What an excellent book, the first half anyway. The connections he makes, the ideas he explores are not found elsewhere. And gladly as he is not writing for the academy but rather for the humanist, he gives himself permission to explore and expound without needing to prove his points. Malraux had vast breadth of first hand experience of art which makes his ideas fresh and convincing. -- In one way his work is a period piece. He writes about the challenge of seeing first hand the many works considered masterpieces and complains about how fatigues are senses are having seen so many reproductions of these masterpieces, and too, he bemoans the poor quality of reproduction through print etc. I can't help wondering how he would have responded to the vast variety of images and art works available to us now through the internet?

But even as a period piece it is quite worthwhile. Reading Malraux's impression of art and the movements which influence and shape our perception of art is really quite fascinating. Absolutely one of my favorite books on art or ideas. Should be read more!

This is a profound work. It contains six - hundred representations of artistic work that Malraux builds his commentry around. The language is philosophical and poetic and often very difficult. The work is divided into four sections. Museum Without Walls, The Metamorphoses of Appolo, the Creative Process, Aftermath of the Absolute.

Malraux is a genius (even though he's French.) I was blown away by his artistic precision in "Man's Fate" and I am no less enthused about this work. Although a bit long-winded at times, Andre has done it again. A man for the next century as well as the last. Bravo!