Sacred Monsters Sacred Masters

Insightful and opinionated, erudite and amusing, this collection by the author of "A Life of Picasso" provides a personal, close-up look at a marvelously eclectic mix of artists and writers, tastemakers and tycoons.

Being human isn’t easy. We might think that consciousness and free will give us control over our lives but our minds are unpredictable places. We are susceptible to forces we don’t understand. We are capable of inflicting immense cruelty on one another and yet we also have the capacity to be tender, to empathise, to feel. In his thought-provoking new book Richard Holloway holds a mirror up to the human condition. By drawing on a colourful and eclectic selection of writings from history, philosophy, science, poetry, theology and literature, Holloway shows us how we can stand up to the seductive power of the monster and draw closer to the fierce challenge of the saint.

“Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure—that of being Salvador Dalí.” He was a force unto himself, an icon of outrageousness, artistic brilliance, eccentricity, and unmistakable style. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí y Domènech, Marquis of Pubol, was one of the foremost artists of the twentieth century, and in this concise narrative acclaimed art historian Mary Ann Caws provides a sharply written survey of his life and work. Salvador Dalí examines every twist and turn in Dalí’s long and multifaceted career and the pivotal artistic movements at whose center he stood. From his early life in the Catalan region and his expulsions from the School of Fine Arts in Madrid and other schools to the surrealist movement and his work with Buñuel on the films Un chein andalou and L’Âge d’or, Caws charts Dalí’s influences and creative process. Dalí’s turbulent personal life brought him in contact with a rich assortment of intellectual figures, and Caws considers his relationships with his family; his lovers, including the married Elena Diakonova; and with friends such as poet Federico Garcia Lorca. His writings, drawings, photography, and painted works offer up new clues about the artist under Caws’s incisive eye, as she analyzes his lesser-known writings and creative works, as well as his Surrealist paintings and “hand-painted dream photographs” such as The Persistence of Memory. A masterfully written biographical study, Salvador Dalí paints an arresting portrait of one of the most elusive artists of our time.

Creativity matters. We want people to be more creative and admire those who are. Yet creativity is deeply puzzling. Just what is it to be creative? Why is it valuable? Who or what can be creative and how? Creativity and Philosophy is an outstanding collection of specially commissioned chapters by leading philosophers who explore these problems and many more. It provides a comprehensive and creative picture of creativity, including the following themes: creativity as a virtue, imagination, epistemic virtue, moral virtue and personal vice; creativity with and without value, the definition of creativity, creative failures and suffering; creativity in nature, divine creativity and human agency; naturalistic explanations of creativity and the extended mind; creativity in philosophy, mathematics and logic, and the role of heuristics; creativity in art, morality and politics; individual and group creativity. A major feature of the collection is that it explores creativity not only from the perspective of art and aesthetics, but also from a variety of philosophical disciplines, including epistemology, philosophy of mind, philosophical psychology, philosophy of science, political philosophy and ethics. The volume is essential reading for anyone fascinated by creativity, whether their interests lie in philosophy, music, art and visual studies, literature, psychology, neuroscience, management or education, or they are simply intent on learning more about this vital human trait.

The tension between Christianity and the arts is often real. But it also offers a false dichotomy. Many Christian artists think that they must choose between their faith and their artistic calling. Drawing upon his experiences as both a Christian and a practicing artist, Cameron J. Anderson explores the dynamics of faith and art in this Studies in Theology and the Arts volume. Tracing the relationship between evangelicalism and modern art in postwar America—two entities that often found themselves at odds with each other—Anderson raises several issues that confront artists. With skill, sensitivity, and insight, he considers questions such as the role of our bodies and our senses in our experience of the arts, the relationship between text and image, the persistent dangers of idolatry, the possibility of pursuing God through an encounter with beauty, and more. Throughout this study, Anderson's principal concern is how Christian artists can faithfully pursue their vocational calling in contemporary culture. Readers will find here not only an informed and thoughtful response, but also a vision that offers guidance and hope. The Studies in Theology and the Arts series encourages Christians to thoughtfully engage with the relationship between their faith and artistic expression, with contributions from both theologians and artists on a range of artistic media including visual art, music, poetry, literature, film, and more.

“Eravamo anti-sistema in tutto e per tutto, nella musica e nell’arte. Volevamo distruggere qualsiasi cosa avesse regole prestabilite, tutto quel che c’era di asfissiante, tutte le certezze. Eravamo decisi a infrangere tutte le regole in tutti i modi possibili”. La Londra di Barry Miles è quella della cultura underground che nasce fra le macerie della Seconda guerra mondiale ed esplode nel corso degli anni Sessanta e Settanta, concentrandosi sul West End e su Soho, le zone in cui era confluita un’eterogenea popolazione di personaggi creativi e fuori dalle righe, intolleranti nei confronti delle costrizioni della cultura e del costume ufficiale: scrittori, poeti, registi, musicisti, artisti, pubblicitari, architetti, stilisti, e una miriade di più anonimi personaggi decisi a fare della propria vita un’arte. È la storia di una rivoluzione culturale determinata a ottenere una “totale confusione dei sensi”, che si sviluppa fra le vie di una metropoli artisticamente onnivora, fatta di locali, librerie, club, pub, teatri, piazze, vicoli, scantinati, case occupate o case borghesi. Una storia di sconvolgente energia vitale e al tempo stesso autodistruttiva, raccontata sul filo di quell’ironia che solo un testimone diretto può comunicare. Mettere in fila i nomi che si incontrano fra queste pagine fa tremare l’idea stessa di ‘controcultura’, poiché vi si ritrova molta della creatività che animerà per ibridazione la cultura ufficiale del Novecento: Dylan Thomas, Francis Bacon, i Situazionisti, il cool jazz, il rock ’n’ roll, Mary Quant, Kingsley Amis, J.G. Ballard, i Rolling Stones, i Beatles, William Burroughs, Jimi Hendrix, i Pink Floyd, Allen Ginsberg, Pete Townshend, Yoko Ono, Derek Jarman, David Hockney, i Clash, i Police, Gilbert & George, Vivienne Westwood, i Sex Pistols, Boy George, Charles Saatchi, Lucian Freud, Damien Hirst e moltissimi altri. Un libro-mondo brulicante di storie e di personaggi, il ritratto più preciso e divertente mai scritto sull’avventura gloriosa e infame di un’epoca oggi entrata nella leggenda.

What is taste? This well-curated collection documents new theories and emerging critical practices in the field of interior design. It investigates taste, a concept central to the formation of the discipline in the eighteenth century that was repudiated by architects in the early twentieth century, but which continues to play an important role in interior design today. Essays by historians and critics are complemented by interviews with practitioners on the margins of normative practice and portfolios of the work of contemporary designers.

) This lively account of the unlikely union between an arts maverick and a city on the cusp of cultural evolution sheds new light on how great art finds a place to call home.