The Mystery of Modern Art Esotericism, Magic, and Spiritualism among Contemporary Artists (original) (raw)
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The artworks under discussion detail the scope and breadth of art that can be described as spiritual by virtue of its revelatory, revitalizing and contemplative capacities. Rather than interrogating the relationship between art and religion, more pertinent questions in the contemporary age are: What is the nature of the dialogue between art and spirituality, how do the two come together, and what form does the meeting take? The range of multimedia brings novel forms of encounter that occur outside the gallery and other spaces and involve audiovisual and other means of articulating the spiritual. These new forms make different demands on viewers; they create greater intimacy (often through immersion), both physically and psychologically, and one of the consequences of having greater intimacy can be a heightened awareness that increases presentness and a sense of embodiment. What we learn is that there are potentially as many interpretations of spirituality as there are viewers. In the 21st century, the concept of spirituality is becoming increasingly important to various cultural discourses, including that of contemporary artwork. Art that is described as spiritual may reference or represent a spiritual and/or religious tradition. Whether referring to specific religious traditions or not, spirituality concerns the feelings stirred or probed by the art, which may prompt viewers to reflect on the meaning of life, often drawing on existential questions, such as: Why are we here? What are we doing? What happens after life ends? A sense of the spiritual also gives people the sense of belonging that they crave, a feeling that they are part of something greater than the self. The spiritual also contrasts with the material, where the material concerns acquisitiveness and worldly success. Spirituality seeks to transcend worldly goods and ambitions. The relationship between art and spirituality has been historically mediated through the relationship between art and religion, something which has been periodically problematic throughout the centuries. But in spite of the decline of organized religion in Western
ARE THE ARTS SEARCHING FOR THE SPIRITUAL IN ALL OF US
Creative expression through visual images and symbols has communicated the essence of the human spirit and affirmed art-making as an inherent human capacity since the beginning of humanity. Across cultures and throughout history, tools of divination, exploration and deeper connection offer seekers diverse vocabularies and symbols that promise alternative ways of understanding the mysteries of the universe and humanity’s place within it. The arts have always being integral to religion and spirituality. Sacred pictures, sacred symbols, sacred dances, chants, hymns and tunes have been used in rituals, in places of worship, and as aids to prayer and meditation in every religion. Its seem to be natural vehicles for expressing or connecting with the transcendent, with something beyond religion. In this paper I attempt to present the artist as a shaman of our contemporary world and art- making as the path of transformation in search for the meaning of life and its mystery. Are the arts searching for the spiritual in all of us? Keywords: art, spirituality, magic realism, creative expression
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Modernity and Postmodernity have witnessed secularization of the Western world and ultimate rationalization of thought. However, the rationalistic approach towards epistemological and ethical questions that characterizes Modernity has proven insufficient. Modern artists and philosophers directly or indirectly oppose the one-sided rationalistic view of the world and claim that the main subject and purpose of art is revelation of spiritual essences, connection with metaphysical reality. Eternal truths, Rothko claims, are the subject matter of all good art. This texts considers the modern tendency to associate art with spirituality in terms of themes, purpose and the role of the artist. I refer to contemporary philosophers and artists to elucidate the complex relationship between religion, art and spirituality today. I also explore the view that art is a kind of spiritual practice that can be compared to religious commitments. At the same time, art does not fully substitute religion. A crucial distinction is that art is inclusive, allowing agnostics and atheists to have spiritual experiences, while religion is exclusive. This however doesn't mean that art has priority in facilitating one's spiritual growth. Along with that, the paper aims at elucidating the role of art in individual and social life. In ancient times there was no boundary between art, spirituality and religion and art successfully served religion – it helped the supersensible get a sensible (visual) form. Works of art supported and fortified religious discourse and practices. Modernity is the period when traditional religion was challenged and often discarded completely. However, the interest towards spirituality, or the spiritual quest, as I call it, didn't vanish away. Spiritual matters and religious questions were 'transported' to the field of arts. This is perhaps due to the relationship that art and religion had in early history, after which, to a certain degree, art has continued to serve religious and spiritual purposes. Or it may be explained by the spiritual aspect of human nature. But the tendency to associate art with spirituality, especially in Modernity is also due to over
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This introduction explores the connections between the worlds of art and religion over the past fifty years. Focusing on the discursive coherence of contemporary art and religion, Lerner examines the attempts to bring some order to a theme that has cyclically and persistently arisen in recent art making. In this overview of critical and curatorial interpretations, crucial areas of inquiry are: the religious and secular paradigms addressed within contemporary art practices; the relationships between works of art and institutional questions; the confrontations of new artistic modes; and the survival of religious symbolic structures.