Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice

J. F. Martel

£18.99

Received opinion holds that art is culturally-determined and relative. We are told that whether a picture, a movement, a text, or sound qualifies as a ‘work of art’ largely depends on social attitudes and convention. Drawing on examples ranging from Paleolithic cave paintings to modern pop music and building on the ideas of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Gilles Deleuze, Carl Jung, and others, J.F. Martel argues that art is an inborn human phenomenon that precedes the formation of culture and even society.

Out of stock

Publish Date: 05/06/2025
ISBN: 9780349147895 Category: Tag:

Description

A compelling call to rediscover the transformative power of art in an age of distraction, coercion and spectacle – with a new introduction by Donna Tartt

In Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice, J. F. Martel offers a compelling and incisive meditation on the nature of art in a world dominated by invasive media, rampant consumer culture, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on a wide range of examples, from Paleolithic cave art to contemporary cinema, Martel argues that true art reveals the unseen forces shaping our existence-forces that transcend politics, technology, and even culture. In contrast to artifice, which seeks to manipulate or distract, authentic art calls us back to the essence of things, opening “rifts” onto the sublime and the weird and reconnecting us with the radical mystery at the heart of the world.

Featuring a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donna Tartt, this edition also includes a new afterword by the author, reflecting on the continued relevance of art in our increasingly mediated world.

Additional information

Weight 347 g
Dimensions 214 × 144 × 26 mm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

224

Language

English

Edition

New Edition

Dewey

700.103 (edition:23)

Readership

College – higher education / Code: F