Spirit and Art

Art was originally a part of the secret mystery cults of the world and has now become an expression of individual creative intuition. In this book we examine, with James, an installation of Joseph Beuys, an altar by Hieronymous Bosch and a Paleolithic cave drawing and others, in order to gain wisdom of the spiritual language the art conveys."As an art student in the late sixties, I recall how painfully dry and intellectual my art history classes were. I thought to myself, or rather felt to myself, "There must be something more" (Van James).Artist Van James offers that something more. This is a richly readable and lavishly illustrated text that reveals how, at every stage, human consciousness has evolved through the medium of art. It makes the case for a hidden stream that has put forth art works and art movements throughout history, in an ongoing visible revelation of invisible spiritual currents.Art, originally a part of the secret Mystery cults of the ancient world, has become an exp