Modern Art and the Death of a Culture
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Sobering Look at Modern Art
Rookmaker uses words like existentialism, nihilism, anarchy, irrationality, and anti-art to describe a lot of what we call Modern Art. He has good reasons for saying this as he gives a great overview of art from medieval times, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment to now. The art started going downhill, in his view, from about the time of the Impressionists, when art became "non-thematic" or "art for art's sake". He sees Post-Impressionist Cezanne as the father of Modern Art who fostered movements such as cubism, abstract, expressionism, and fauvism; Picasso then picked up the artistic baton from him and greatly influenced the rest of 20th century art.
I liked the author's overview of art probably the best, followed by his philosophical take on what each phase means. It's an interesting debate as to the value of art for art's sake, which I personally like, even if it does give equal value to everything in a given painting and 'does not say anything'. I also still admire the clever imagination of the modern artists, while shuddering a little more at what they are trying to express after reading this book.
If you like art, and want a Christian take on what's really going on, you should read this book. But if you're like me, you'll still decide for yourself what you like and don't like about Modern Art, even if you don't agree with the world view. Besides, isn't it important for Christians to understand what the world stands for?
We are experiencing what this book predicts
Modern Art and the Death of a Culture by Rookmaaker
This is one of the most powerful books I've ever read. I heard a lecture by Rookmaaker in Amsterdam in 1972. I thought a lecture on art would bore me to death. Instead I was on the edge of my seat even after an all night plane ride. The book shows through art how our culture has moved away from the concept of a transcendent God since the 1300s. It is an exciting read because it takes the words of the artists themselves right up the the 1970s to explain their art and their spiritual beliefs. It is very hard to put this book down even for someone like me who is not all that excited about art. It is ominous in its predictions of what impact this has on our present culture.
You can get it used [...]. I value it so much I don't even loan my copy out.
Showing the intersection of culture, philosophy, and theology - in an enjoyable read
One of the joys of generating a group of boys takes fishing to them.
My the older is only eight, for however stripped we had many really
contagious fish of success! Nontheless, it there has much joy by
teaching them about the bobbers, hooks, starts, moulding the line,
etc... - there are really an art and a science with charging. One of
the difficulties that the small hands have gathers all information and
employs correctly it. Just like small the need for children a good
professor to help them to integrate many facts, thus us are often in
same condition. In the modern art of writing and the death of a
culture, Hans Rookmaaker late comes beside us to explain how
many various matters intersect and act one on the other with one the
other. Art, esthetics, culture, theology, history of the world of
philosophy - these various sectors are presented on the table for the
discussion, and then integrated together to make a strong remark.
Rookmaaker, a perpetual friend of Francis Schaeffer, provides us a
biblical prospect on the modern world, concentrating specifically on
the philosophical agenda behind the modern art. Beginning its overall
picture with the paddle of the Rebirth and the reform, Rookmaaker
quickly covers much the historical ground in the voyage about the
modern era. In the final analysis, it indicates the roots of the
despair of modernities. The autonomous reason of God put by humanity
apart from box of the world, and in consequence began the slow descent
in the subjective meaninglessness. Do not leave to the matter of the
alarm of book you. Even while addressing heavy topics, Rookmaaker
written with large competence and passion. It does not try to impress
you with the vocabulary of gibberish of specialized initiate and ivory
tower. Although he knows his material excessively well, its goal is to
build Christians. It wants to teach you how to gather many cultural
data so that you times comprenniez in which you live. If you were ever
embarassé with the message, or miss in, of the modern art, of
Rookmaaker will help you to include/understand and distinguish what
you see. I strongly recommend this work, and wishes that much more
work as this are written than Christians of assistance to
include/understand the worlds of the raised culture, popular art, and
music. Note: This edition 1994 of Crossway is really a reprinting of
this traditional work in the beginning writes in 1970, approximately
seven years before the death of the author.
Careful reading required
I used to really like this book. Finding it at the Dales Bible Week in Harrogate was a stroke of exceptional good fortune. Together with various texts by Schaffer and Guinness, I found a good deal of clear explanation for the kinds of encounters with literature I had had in recent years.However, I think that in later years I became somewhat anxious. Oddly enough there was the coincidence that nearly all the actual content of the Dales Bible week was suddenly coming under very close scrutiny and rightly being found wanting, I re-read quite a few of the texts I picked up in that period (which was the late 70's and early 80's), this included.
What passes for scholarship in this book is quite hard to resist, and requires the most detailed knowledge to refute. I have some friends who have tried to do this. It takes years to absorb the whole impact of 19th century machinations in the arts, and the 20th century is far more difficult. I found that Rookmaakers analysis still held up, though it is hard to rationalise how this book has now become the sole element in far too many arts and literature courses in Christian establishments. Not every stream of arts development led entirely to despair, and not every artist abrogated their responsibility to truth quite so wilfully as the author seems to suggest.
The book has become, in fact, far too embedded in the Christian subculture now. And this of course is a dreadful trap. In some institutions this form of criticism has become an alternative and if fact, vicarious alternative to real scholarship.
At the risk of being classed as a reckless fool, I would suggest it would be best if there was a concious attempt to point focus away from the L'abri fellowship for a while and to allow people to develop and sharpen real critical skills. This should never compromise real faith. Once again, what is happening in the real world is a loss of dialectic clarity among those who should be the salt and light.
Another concern is that now the arts are so degenerate, it is now almost certainly the case that the canary is now thoroughly dead, and very little, if anything is to be gained from it's postmortem. I suspect that far more is to be gained by shifting the focus of action to other spheres.
I'm afraid I must sound very critical of this - I don't mean to really. The book contains invaluable truth and should be read. However, things in the secular world are changing rapidly and it is important for us all to think on our feet.
Rookmaaker Reveals Art
Christians weren't and aren't necessarily "right" when it comes to art. Often uninformed and bias, Christians tend to pigeon-hole art, making it have no place in the lives of humanity. This book takes a look at art through a historical and biblical viewing glass. Rookmaaker does not just say "sin is the problem" and leave it at that (though he speaks plenty on the root of the problem which is sin). Rather he looks to history, the artist's intentions of a particular "movement", and both Christian and secular mentalities that pervaded the times. Rookmaaker ends the book splendidly, answering questions that are left in the Christian's mind (concerning faith, morals and art, good and bad art, beauty, aesthetics, what is art, and more), calling Christians to take courage, and finally charging Christians with the responsibility to go out and make good art.
THE BEST BOOK ON MODERN ART IN PRINT
Dr. Rookmaaker was the Professor of the History of Art at the Free University of Amsterdam. This book is his very interesting analysis of art and how it reflects the culture. Rookmaaker was of the opinion that artists were like canaries in a mine. They were (are) the early warning system. They show clearly where a society is headed. They are not (as many cultural conservatives falsely believe) the cause of societies problems, rather they are the earliest indicators of those problems. This book (first published in 1970) is more timely than ever. It (and Dr. Rookmaaker) were a huge influence on Dr. Francis Schaeffer (The entire "line of despair" idea in "The God Who is There" comes from Rookmaaker). I highly recommend this book.
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