Modern Spiritualism And Scottish Art

Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--University of Aberdeen, 2016.

This pioneering account of Modern Spiritualism in late 19th and early 20th-century Scotland is a compelling history of the international movement's cultural impact on Scottish art. From spirit-mediums creating séance art to mainstream artists of the Royal Scottish Academy, this exposition reveals for the first time the extent of Spiritualist interest in Scotland. With its interdisciplinary scope, Modern Spiritualism and Scottish Art combines cultural and art history to explore the ways in which Scottish art reflected Spiritualist beliefs at the turn of the 20th century. More than simply a history of the Spiritualist cause and its visual manifestations, this book also provides a detailed account of scepticism, psychical research, and occulture in modern Scotland, and the role that these aspects played in informing responses to Spiritualist ideology. Utilising extensive archival research, together with in-depth analyses of overlooked paintings, drawings and sculpture, Michelle Foot demonstrates the vital importance of Spiritualist art to the development of Spiritualism in Scotland during the 19th century. In doing so, the book highlights the contribution of Scottish visual artists alongside better-known Spiritualists such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Daniel Dunglas Home.

Can contemporary art say anything about spirituality? Answering this question and more, On the Strange Place of Religion in Contemporary Art explores the curious disconnection between spirituality and current art.

Accessible, extensively researched, and beautifully illustrated, this updated volume by renowned scholar and author Murdo Macdonald sheds light on the history and cultural significance of Scottish art. At a time when issues of Scottish identity are the subject of fierce debate, Murdo Macdonald illuminates Scotland’s artistic past and present in this classic text in the World of Art series. Ranging from Neolithic standing stones and the art of the Picts and Gaels to Reformation and Enlightenment art and major figures in the contemporary art scene, Scottish Art explores the distinctive characteristics of Scottish art through the centuries. It examines the cultural heritage and intricate patterns of Celtic design, the importance of Highland and coastal landscapes, long-standing connections between French and Scottish artists, and how each of these factors influenced the development of art in Scotland. This new edition includes more than 200 full-color images of Scottish art from prehistoric times to the present. With masterpieces from artists such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Joan Eardley, this book is a thorough, authoritative, and accessible introduction to Scottish art.

This work explores the spiritual intentions and achievements of 20th-century art from the Cubist revolution to Postmodernism. The book reveals that many artists considered the spirit as seriously as they regarded their palette. It looks at artists such as: Kandinsky and Mondrian, who were Theosophists; Rouault and Warhol, who were devout Catholics; and many other artists including Rothko, O'Keefe and Hepworth, who are understood in a fresh way through their own writings and through a thorough examination of their art.

Through stories, quotes and images, this book is a guide to deeper enjoyment and appreciation of visual art, the spiritual journey and the connections between the two. It has stunningly beautiful colour reproductions of art across time, place and culture.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Dedication -- List of illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction: Scotland, nationalism and modernism -- 1 Windows in Thrums -- 2 The Modern Scot -- 3 William McCance and Scottish modernism -- 4 J.D. Fergusson and Celtic nationalism -- 5 The discourse on Scottish art -- Conclusion: nationalism, modernism and art -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

As an element in human societies, religion forms part of the backdrop against which artists have worked in the past and present. Today, artists work in a world in which the place, role, and authority of religious traditions and institutions have changed, a process that began with the dawn of the modern era. Although the authority and influence of organized religion has declined in Western Europe and North America, interest in spirituality (itself a broad category of practices and beliefs) continues to be on the increase. At the same time, some artists today engage the phenomenon of spirituality in their own work, and scholars continue to explore the relationships between art, religion, and spirituality. This collection of essays by scholars and artists explores the intersections of art, religion, and spirituality in Finland and abroad, both in the past and today.