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Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice

by J. F. Martel

Art, artifice, and the unseen

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AlbakiReads Editorial

Art, artifice, and the unseen

J. F. Martel’s meditation on art sets creative work against the pressures of invasive media, consumer culture, and artificial intelligence. Drawing examples from Paleolithic cave art to contemporary cinema, the book considers how art can disclose forces that shape human existence, while artifice can manipulate or distract. Its central inquiry is philosophical: what distinguishes art that opens a view onto the sublime and the strange from forms that merely capture attention? This edition includes an introduction by Donna Tartt and a new afterword in which Martel reflects on art’s place in an increasingly mediated world.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in aesthetics and philosophical approaches to art.
  • Readers curious about art’s relationship to media, consumer culture, and artificial intelligence.
  • Readers seeking a broad-ranging discussion that connects ancient art with contemporary cinema.

Themes

Aesthetics and the nature of artArtifice, distraction, and spectacleArt’s relation to technology and cultureThe sublime and the mystery of existence

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Book overview

A compelling call to rediscover the transformative power of art in an age of distraction, coercion, and spectacle - featuring an introduction from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donna Tartt

In Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artifice, J. F. Martel offers a compelling and incisive meditation on the nature of art in a world dominated by invasive media, rampant consumer culture, and artificial intelligence. Drawing on a wide range of examples, from Paleolithic cave art to contemporary cinema, Martel argues that true art reveals the unseen forces shaping our existence--forces that transcend politics, technology, and even culture. In contrast to artifice, which seeks to manipulate or distract, authentic art calls us back to the essence of things, opening "rifts" onto the sublime and the weird and reconnecting us with the radical mystery at the heart of the world.

Featuring an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Donna Tartt, this edition also includes a new afterword by the author, reflecting on the continued relevance of art in our increasingly mediated world.
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