Aspiring towards the absolute

Corrinne Chong, Michelle Foot

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

Abstract

The introduction sets the stage for the following chapters by providing a general overview of the visual arts and music at the start of the nineteenth century and examines how these would converge with mysticism in response to the social, political, and ideological circumstances at the fin-de-siècle. Principal themes examine the ideal of absolute music versus programme music; the formal analogues between the visual arts and music; the different varieties and definitions of mysticism; the discourses that emerged from occultism, including Theosophy; and the seismic impact of Wagner’s Gesamtkunstwerk. Collectively, these themes reveal the mystical undercurrent that united the artists and composers who aspired to transcend the earthbound in search of “the beyond”.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationArt, Music, and Mysticism at the Fin de Siècle
Subtitle of host publicationSeeing and Hearing the Beyond
EditorsCorrinne Chong, Michelle Foot
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherRoutledge
Pages1-15
Number of pages16
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9781003247661
ISBN (Print)9781032145662
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 Jul 2024

Publication series

NameRoutledge Research in Art History
PublisherRoutledge

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