Sacred spring
Subtitle: God and the birth of modernism in fin de siècle Vienna
By: Robert Weldon Whalen.
Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
Published: 2007
Place of publication: Grand Rapids, Mich
Language: eng
Number of pages: 339
ISBN-13: 9780802832160
Subjects: Modernism (Christian theology); Vienna (Austria) -- Intellectual life -- 19th century
Description: The culture of fin de siècle Vienna continues to fascinate and has been examined at length. There are indeed massive studies of Freud, Mahler, Loos, Klimt, and many other notables from that era. But these studies often downplay the religious dimension of Viennese modernist culture, implying--if not arguing outright--that "modernism" and "religion" are contrary, even hostile, categories. Taking a different tack, Robert Weldon Whalen in Sacred Spring documents the important thesis that Viennese modernism, far from being secular, was in fact a deeply religious movement. In vivid language Whalen examines this era of "being torn apart and rising again," colorfully describing those Viennese who were on the cutting edge of modern art and thought. Though the book focuses on avant-garde art, it also connects materials from journalism, popular culture, and contemporary politics in fascinating ways.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: Fairy tale city; title: Necropolis; title: Resurrection; title: Dreams and visions; title: Hieroglyphs; title: The feminine divine; title: The uncanny; title: The artists' hour; title: Song of the earth.