The death of art: the transformation of art from a religious perspective

Abstract

The hypothesis put forth in this dissertation is twofold. The first part is based on a view (supported by writers such as Hans Belting) that maintains that art lost its sacred character in the late Middle Ages, when art was emancipated from religion and the artist was recognized as an original Creator. The two first chapters examine this issue: The first chapter (A Religious View of the History of the Arts) discusses theories of religious art from the ancient Jewish drama and the Greek tragedy to the late Middle Ages. Psychological material, mostly drawn from Lacan and Jung, is used to explore the connection between art and religion in the East and the West. The second chapter {Anti-Leonardo) focuses on some important changes in the Renaissance which can be observed mostly in art, that have affected religious and social consciousness to date. The second part of the hypothesis is that contemporary philosophy and art, having witnessed the death of the author as it has been presented by writers such as Michel Foucault and Roland Barthes, are now registering the withdrawal of the work of art as an independent object, and the reversal of the Renaissance art paradigm. The withdrawal or "death" of the work of art and of art as a process are discussed in the third chapter {The Death of Art), which explores these issues in contemporary philosophy, and argues that contemporary art, popular and classical, is withdrawing as a distinct activity, giving its place to a growing religious awareness. The fourth chapter {The Religious Artist) examines the art and the views of some contemporary artists whose art expresses the return of the sacred. Particular emphasis is given to the art of the New Simplicity, an artistic trend that epitomizes the vanguard of art while expressing spiritual and religious contemporary concerns. [brace not closed]