The Dialectics of Art

by John Molyneux

To the question of "what is art?", it is often simply responded that art is whatever is produced by the artist. For John Molyneux, this clearly circular answer is deeply unsatisfying. In a tour de force spanning renaissance Italy and the Dutch Republic to contemporary leading figures, The Dialectics of Art instead approaches its subject matter as a distinct field of creative human labour that emerges alongside and in opposition to the alienation and commodification brought about by capitalism. The pieces and individuals Molyneux examines -- from Michelangelo’s Slaves to Rembrandts Jewish Bride to the vast drip paintings of Jackson Pollock – are presented as embodying the social contradictions of their times, giving art an inherently political relevance. In its relationship of creative and dialectical tension to prevailing social relationships and norms, such art points beyond the existing order of things, hinting at a potential future society not based on alienated labour in which creative production becomes the property and practice of all.

Genres: Art

300 pages, Paperback

Published December 8, 2020

Reviews

[Caroline Todd]

Lol this man thinks postmodernism isn’t...real

[Remus Balint]

"When the workers organise work for the benefit of the workers, that is to say of the whole people, they will once more know what is meant by art."

[Tracy]

Read introduction, chapters 1-2 and 10-11, and the conclusion. Learned a lot about Marxism -- Marx himself goes over my head but examining ideas through examples like this book does with art is more understandable for me. I like the idea of art as unalienated labor. His walk through of relational aesthetics and the social turn was useful. I was hoping for a bit more from the section on art about climate change, which somewhat fizzled out after some discussion of land art. Regardless of whether I agree, I like that the author is very opinionated (e.g. "Postmodernism was at most a fad, not an era") and unafraid of proclaiming judgment (e.g. he describes Strike Art: Contemporary Art and the Post-Occupy Condition as "by turns fascinating, challenging, and irritating" 😂)

[Andi_banandi]

A dense but fascinating book, I learned a lot about political uprisings via a lens of paintings. It made Michelangelo seem like a really relatable guy, excited about the new socialist revolution and sad when it was crushed (as evidenced by the tone shift in his art). Also I loved learning about Rembrandt and his very humanistic portrayals of people.

[Stephen Casey]

Some great chapters, representing a point in time about certain art, artists and exhibitions. Also many interesting perspectives though too often diluted by signing off a chapter with a version of, "of course there are exceptions to this view".

But it made me think, and that's surely a good thing. just moved from 3 to 4 stars based on that alone.

[Phil Brett]

A marvelous book. Detailed, intelligent but very accessible. Highly recommended.

You might also want to see my review:
http://www.culturematters.org.uk/inde...

[Ian]

Brilliant. Wears it’s erudition lightly. Clear, precise language. Highly accessible.

[Nigel Pearce]

A significant contribution to the field of Marxist Aesthetics.

[Lena]

really thoughtful collection of essays! some definitely resonated with me more over others, but a great Marxist examination of art and how it plays into a larger political discussion.