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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Experiencing the Healing Balm of Emptiness, December 14, 2005
At times when the world seems increasingly frenetic, there is a healing balm in emptiness. VOID IN ART depicts and describes the ever-elusive, energetic essence of the Void, which turns out to be much more than the absence of suchness. As Lao Tzu wrote in the Tao te Ch'ing, "There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born... It is serene, empty... Solitary, unchanging... Infinite. Eternally present... It is the mother of the universe... for lack of a better name, I call it the Tao."
VOID IN ART is a multidimensional delight for art enthusiasts everywhere, as well as for those who delight in deeper explorations of that from which all creation arises. Author Mark Levy discusses the Void in art as it appeared in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and in relationship to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Forty-six illustrations grace the pages of this tribute to that which is simultaneously empty and infinite... to that whose very nature defies categorization and description.
Reading VOID IN ART feels like listening spell-bound and enchanted as an art historian shares his life-long passion for what is possibly the deepest, most mysterious subject known to man. With a deft eye for interweaving artistic meaning and historical detail for each piece of art described, Levy artfully provides delightful insights into artists who have been touched and transformed by the Void. I give VOID IN ART my highest recommendation for all seekers and students of consciousness, philosophy, and meditation.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disappearing Into The Void, November 21, 2005
Professor Levy is a member of the post-formalist generation which
is bringing the study of form and content into balance, and
building bridges between Asian philosophical aesthetics and Modern
philosophical aesthetics. He brings to the study of meditative art,
years of meditative practice. This is extremely uncommon among
academics. Without that background Levy would not have been able to
deal with the Great Void in a way that can be understood and
appreciated in East and West. The combination of penetrating
insights, and his multi-dimensional perspective on form and the
meaning of form, have combined to present a very welcome gift to
the new art historiography which is reuniting spirit and matter. He
already is widely respected for his ability to explain in clear
language both the rational and non-ordinary mental processes
underlying the generation of spiritually oriented art. His last
book Technicians of Ecstasy: Shamanism and the Modern
Artist, has become a classic in the field.
Void In Art certainly will become a standard reference.
Lanier Graham, author of Duchamp & Androgyny and Goddesses in Art
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating Trek into the Void, January 8, 2006
Art Historian and meditative adept, Mark Levy, has written a wonderful, very well-researched and pioneering work of art depicting the Tao (the Void). It is enormously exciting for this reviewer simply to open the pages of this book at any point and become immersed in its words and depictions of one of the most mysterious subjects in the Universe.
For many years I have taught my students about how Creation emerged from the original Void, but it is rare indeed to find anything written about it, let alone to have the artistic renditions gathered together into what I feel will become an important reference book on this subject. It must have been an enormous and challenging project for the author, in spite of his obvious spiritual realization.
The Void Itself is a paradox, simultaneously being emptiness and everything. Bringing myself into that state of consciousness is at once immensely fulfilling, natural, soul transforming and overwhelming. My favorite parts of the book are when Levy writes about Kali, the Eastern goddess who exemplifies the blackness, depth and intensity of the Void. Kali starkly rips from one all illusion, delusion, non-authenticity, and ignorance. In return, she then rewards with divine love, ecstasy and mystical illumination.
I salute the artists over the years who have expressed their visions of the Tao. And my deepest respect to Levy for bringing them together with his insightful, multidimensional commentary in this brilliant and successful dive into the Void.
My highest recommendation. Will surely become a classic.
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