Spiritual moderns : twentieth-century American artists and religion / Erika Doss.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Doss, Erika, 1956- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Warhol, Andy, 1928-1987--Religion.

Warhol, Andy.

Cornell, Joseph--Religion.

Cornell, Joseph.

Tobey, Mark--Religion.

Tobey, Mark.

Pelton, Agnes, 1881-1961--Religion.

Pelton, Agnes.

Modernism (Art)--United States.

Modernism (Art).

Art and religion--United States--History--20th century.

Art and religion.

Art, American--20th century.

Art, American.

Religion in art.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 337 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Chicago, IL : The University of Chicago Press, [2023]

Summary:

Examines how and why religion matters in the history of modern American art. Andy Warhol is one of the best-known American artists of the twentieth century. He was also an observant Catholic who carried a rosary, went to mass regularly, kept a Bible by his bedside, and depicted religious subjects throughout his career. Warhol was a spiritual modern: a modern artist who appropriated religious images, beliefs, and practices to create a distinctive style of American art. Spiritual Moderns centers on four American artists who were both modern and religious. Joseph Cornell, who showed with the Surrealists, was a member of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Mark Tobey created pioneering works of Abstract Expressionism and was a follower of the Bahá’í Faith. Agnes Pelton was a Symbolist painter who embraced metaphysical movements including New Thought, Theosophy, and Agni Yoga. And Warhol, a leading figure in Pop art, was a lifelong Catholic. Working with biographical materials, social history, affect theory, and the tools of art history, Doss traces the linked subjects of art and religion and proposes a revised interpretation of American modernism.

Contents:

Spiritual moderns: twentieth-century American artists and religion

Joseph Cornell and Christian Science: "white magic" modernism and the metaphysics of ephemera

Mark Tobey and Baha´'i´: "white writing" and spiritual calligraphy

Agnes Pelton and occulture: spiritual seeking and visionary modernism

Andy Warhol and Catholicism: pop art's "spiritual side"

Spiritual moderns: culture war controversies and enduring themes.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780226823478

OCLC:

1370498338