Vitalist Modernism: Art, Science, Energy and Creative Evolution

This book explores how vitalism and its relationship to new scientific theories,philosophies, and concepts of energy became seminal from the fin de siècle until the Second World War for Modernists such as Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Hugo Ball, Juliette Bisson, Eva Carrière, Salvador Dalì, Robert Delaunay, Marcel Duchamp, Edvard Munch, Picasso, Yves Tanguy, Gino Severini, and John Cage. It reveals how biovitalism at the fin de siècle entailed the pursuit of corporeal regeneration through absorption in raw nature, wholesome environments, aqua therapies, electromagnetism, heliotherapy, modern sports, and physical culture.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book delves into the profound influence of vitalism and its intricate relationship with emerging scientific theories, philosophies, and concepts of energy during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It explores how vitalism became a cornerstone for a group of influential Modernists, including renowned artists such as Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Hugo Ball, Juliette Bisson, Eva Carrière, Salvador Dalì, Robert Delaunay, Marcel Duchamp, Edvard Munch, Picasso, Yves Tanguy, Gino Severini, and John Cage. For these artists, vitalism encompassed a vision of life as a continuous process of metamorphosis driven by the free flow of energies, imagination, intuition, and memories, unburdened by mechanistic materialism and the constraints of chronometric imperatives. This creative evolution, as coined by philosopher Henri Bergson, was a driving force behind their artistic endeavors.

The first part of the book delves into the realm of biovitalism, which emerged at the fin de siècle. It highlights how these Modernists sought physical regeneration through immersion in raw nature, wholesome environments, aquatic therapies, electromagnetism, heliotherapy, modern sports, particularly rugby, water sports, the Olympic Games, and physical culture. Artists like Gustave Caillebotte, Thomas Eakins, Munch, and Albert Gleizes vividly portray this pursuit, showcasing the transformative power of nature on the human body and vital force.

Simultaneously, vitalism intertwined with various other philosophical and scientific movements, including anthroposophy, esotericism, magnetism, occultism, parapsychology, spiritism, theosophy, and psychic states. This fusion of ideas is evident in the works of artists such as Juliette Bisson, Giacomo Balla, Albert Besnard, Umberto Boccioni, Eva Carrière, John Gerrard Keulemans, László Moholy-Nagy, James Tissot, Albert von Schrenck Notzing, and Picasso. During and after the devastation of the First World War, the impact of vitalism on art was particularly profound, as artists sought to express the emotional and psychological toll of the conflict through their work.

In conclusion, this book offers a comprehensive exploration of the profound influence of vitalism on Modernist art during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It sheds light on how artists embraced this philosophical and scientific movement, using it as a catalyst for their creative expression and exploration of the human condition. Through their works, these artists not only contributed to the evolution of art but also left a lasting legacy that continues to inspire and influence artists today.

Weight: 670g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367493042