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Bergson in Britain - (Refractions) by Charlotte de Mille (Hardcover)
About this item
Highlights
- Charlotte de Mille shows that the reception of the philosophy of Henri Bergson by British artists and critics was far more wide spread and of far greater importance in the UK than has been previously thought.
- About the Author: Charlotte de Mille is Associate Lecturer at The Courtauld Institute and curates The Courtauld Gallery's music programme.
- 400 Pages
- Art, History
- Series Name: Refractions
Description
About the Book
Demonstrates the central role of Bergson for modernist art and intellectual history in the UK
Book Synopsis
Charlotte de Mille shows that the reception of the philosophy of Henri Bergson by British artists and critics was far more wide spread and of far greater importance in the UK than has been previously thought.
Based on archival material in Paris and the US, not all previously accessed, along with primary UK sources, she opens new avenues of research and interpretation on the work of artists Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, John Duncan Fergusson and artist-writers Roger Fry and Wyndham Lewis.
De Mille demonstrates the profound impact of Bergson's work in UK culture immediately prior to World War One. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates philosophy, art criticism and art history. An Epilogue considers the proximity of Bergson's thought on temporality, perception, intuition and subjectivity to art history, from Alois Riegl and Aby Warburg, to practitioners today.
From the Back Cover
The artist exists 'to see and make us see what we do not naturally perceive'. Charlotte de Mille illuminates the pivotal role of Bergson's philosophy for UK artists and art critics before 1914. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates philosophy, art criticism and art history, offering new avenues for investigation. An Epilogue considers the proximity of Bergson's thought on temporality, perception, intuition and subjectivity to art history, from Alois Riegl and Aby Warburg, to practitioners today. Charlotte de Mille is Associate Lecturer at The Courtauld Institute.Review Quotes
Bergson in Britain interpolates the first synthetic study of the French philosopher's multifaceted impact on the visual arts in Britain with an experimental form of art writing, building upon the author's innovative interpretation of Bergson's "philosophy of immanence." Based on extensive archival research, this timely book is certain to stimulate cross-disciplinary debate.-- "Mark Antliff, Duke University"
An incredible knowledge of Modernist art is intertwined here with scholarship in Bergsonian philosophy second to none. Not only has Charlotte de Mille forcefully demonstrated the importance of Bergson to British Modernism through figures such as Fry, Fergusson, and Lewis (among many others), she does so with a dexterity and aptitude for conceptual analysis that is dazzling. An extraordinary achievement.-- "John Ó Maoilearca, Kingston University"
About the Author
Charlotte de Mille is Associate Lecturer at The Courtauld Institute and curates The Courtauld Gallery's music programme. She is co-editor with John O' Maoilearca of Bergson and the Art of Immanence (EUP, 2013) and editor of Music and Modernism, c. 1849-1950 (CSP, 2011). The Bloomsbury Handbook to Music and Art, co-edited with Sarah Mahler Kraaz will be published with Bloomsbury Academic in 2023.