The Secret Lives of Art Works is a collection of essays on the phenomenon that viewers treat works of art as living beings: they attribute life, personhood and agency to them, kiss them, beat them,... Show moreThe Secret Lives of Art Works is a collection of essays on the phenomenon that viewers treat works of art as living beings: they attribute life, personhood and agency to them, kiss them, beat them, or claim that portraits look at viewers, and that statues move, breathe and speak. This volume engages in existent theories of these phenomena in art history, psychology, aesthetics and anthropology developed by the members of the Leiden ‘Art, Agency and Living Presence’ group. The Secret Lives of Art Works identifies new areas of research and presents the theoretical and historical account exploring the boundaries between ‘Art and Life’. Show less
Many Romans wrote about the belief that an image – a sculpture or painting, as well as a verbal description or a person on stage – is not a representation, but the image’s prototype, or that an... Show moreMany Romans wrote about the belief that an image – a sculpture or painting, as well as a verbal description or a person on stage – is not a representation, but the image’s prototype, or that an image incorporates particular aspects of life. Some authors explained these beliefs as incorrect observation or wrong mental processing by the beholder. Others pointed at the excellent craftsmanship of the maker of the image. A third group looked at the supernatural involvement of its prototype, often a god. Together, these discourses on the animation of images bring us to what intellectuals from all over the Roman empire saw as reprehensible or acceptable in beholding images as works of art or objects of worship. Moreover, these discourses touch upon ontological and epistemological problems. The barrier between life and death was explored and also the conditions to obtain knowledge from observation. This book describes these various Roman theories on the animated image. Show less
Eck, Caroline van; Bussels, Stijn; Kessel, Elsje van; Hermans, Lex; Schraven, Minou; Gastel, J. Joris van 2011
Levende Beelden ontrafelt met hedendaagse inzichten uit de antropologie en psychologie waar de verleiding vandaan komt om persoonlijkheid en leven toe te kennen aan levenloze voorwerpen. Medusa in... Show moreLevende Beelden ontrafelt met hedendaagse inzichten uit de antropologie en psychologie waar de verleiding vandaan komt om persoonlijkheid en leven toe te kennen aan levenloze voorwerpen. Medusa in de reclame van Versace, of Pygmalion in Vertigo van Hitchcock? De mythen van het levende beeld dwingen ons om na te denken over de grenzen tussen leven en kunst, de gevaren van toeschouwerschap, en de impact van kunstwerken op ons denken en handelen. Voor iedereen die geinteresseerd is in kunst is dit boek een eye-opener. Veel dat op het eerste gezicht onbegrijpelijk of ziekelijk gedrag lijkt, wordt zelfs herkenbaar: naar kunst kijken wordt nooit meer het zelfde, omdat Levende beelden het mysterie probeert te raken van het beeld dat vereenzelvigd wordt met het levende wezen dat het afbeeldt. Show less
