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This study provides a step by step explanation of André Malraux's theory of art. Drawing on his major works, such as The Voices of Silence and The Metamorphosis of the Gods, it examines key topics such as the nature of artistic creation, the psychology of our response to art, the birth of the notion of "art" itself and its transformation after Manet, the birth and death of the idea of beauty, the seriously neglected question of the relationship between art and the passage of time, the emergence of our "first universal world of art," the contemporary role of the art museum and the musée imaginaire, and the contentious question of the relationship between art and history.
Rejecting negative criticisms from writers such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty and E. H. Gombrich, the study argues that Malraux offers us a theory of art that is fully coherent and highly illuminating. In addition, the analysis shows that he presents a radical challenge to the traditional explanations of art inherited from the Enlightenment that have dominated Western thinking for some three hundred years. In short, the study unveils a way of understanding art that is nothing short of an intellectual revolution.
List of contents
Foreword - Introduction - The Fundamental Emotion - Art - A Rival World - Art and Creation - Art and the West - Art and Time - The First Universal World of Art - The Art Museum and the Musée Imaginaire - Art and History - Conclusion: An Intellectual Revolution - Appendix: Titles of Malraux's Works - References - Index.
About the author
Derek Allan has written extensively on Malraux's theory of art and his novels. He has also published on Dostoyevsky, Laclos, Goya, the philosophy of art, and literary theory. Dr. Allan holds a PhD from the Australian National University where he is currently a Visiting Scholar.
Summary
This study provides a step by step explanation of Andre Malraux's theory of art. In short, the study unveils a way of understanding art that is nothing less than an intellectual revolution.
