The Dialectics of Art

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In a sweeping survey of art from the dawn of the bourgeois era to the present day, John Molyneux explains what makes artistic production under capitalism unique, moving, and possibly revolutionary.

To the question of 'what is art' it is often simply responded that art is whatever is produced by the artist. For John Molyneux, this clearly circular answer is deeply unsatisfying. In a tour de force spanning renaissance Italy and the Dutch Republic to contemporary leading figures, The Dialectics of Art instead approaches its subject matter as a distinct field of creative human labour that emerges alongside and in opposition to the alienation and commodification brought about by capitalism. The pieces and individuals Molyneux examines - from Michelangelo's Slaves to Rembrandts Jewish Bride to the vast drip paintings of Jackson Pollock are presented as embodying the social contradictions of their times, giving art an inherently political relevance.

In its relationship of creative and dialectical tension to prevailing social relationships and norms, such art points beyond the existing order of things, hinting at a potential future society not based on alienated labour in which creative production becomes the property and practice of all.

Reviews

'The Dialectics of Art by John Molyneux is a reflection on the role played by the visual arts in Western society, from the Renaissance up to the present day, a reflection that is unapologetically Marxist in character. However, I urge the reader not to be turned off by that.' - Dublin Review of Books

This book is written with less emphasis on resolving theoretical disputes in the seminar room and more on the role culture can play in activating and articulating political struggle. Marx & Philosophy Review of Books

For those interested in social change and the importance of art as a challenge to the alienating core of capitalism, The Dialectics of Art is an excellent place to start. New Politics Journal

Author Bio

John Molyneux is a socialist, activist and writer. Formerly a lecturer at Portsmouth University, he now lives in Dublin. His many books include Rembrandt and Revolution (Redwords 2001), Lenin for Today (Bookmarks 2017), Will the Revolution be Televised (Bookmarks 2012), and Marxism and the Party (Haymarket 2017).