Description
And art?
Book Summary
This volume proposes a hypothetical reconstruction of the art manual that Francisco Ferrer Guardia's Modern School never managed to publish. Starting from an article titled "And art?", which appeared in the center's final bulletin before its closure, it explores the ideas of thinkers such as Tolstoy, Kropotkin, or Proudhon regarding the role of art in the construction of a free and egalitarian society. A work that invites reflection on the transformative potential of artistic creation in education and collective life.
What is it about?
Starting from the absence of an art manual in the Modern School's library, the author Priscila Fernandes investigates the content of the final article of its bulletin, titled precisely "And art?". The text is riddled with references to other authors who raise essential questions about the function of art and artists in the formation of a more just society. Thus, the book is configured as a proposal of what that lost manual could have been, gathering the reflections of key figures of libertarian and critical thought, such as Leo Tolstoy, Peter Kropotkin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Émile Zola, Paul Robin, and Joan Montseny. Through their texts, the link between aesthetics, ethics, and politics is examined, questioning the place of art in education and its capacity to drive social change.
Main Topics
- Social and political function of art in the construction of an egalitarian society.
- Relationship between art, education, and freedom in the thought of the Modern School.
- The role of the artist as an agent of social transformation.
- Critique of traditional artistic institutions and a proposal for an accessible and committed art.
- Revision of the aesthetic ideas of anarchist and progressive thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in art theory, aesthetics, and its political dimension, as well as those who study the history of libertarian thought, alternative pedagogy, and the figure of Francisco Ferrer Guardia. It will also be of great value to artists, educators, and anyone who questions the role of art in contemporary society and its potential to generate profound changes.
What this book contributes
- A unique perspective on art through the prism of anarchism and libertarian pedagogy.
- Access to texts and reflections by fundamental thinkers, gathered in a single volume.
- An invitation to rethink the function of art beyond the market and institutions, as a tool for emancipation.
- An exercise in historical and intellectual reconstruction that fills a void in the bibliography on the Modern School.
Technical Data Sheet
- Author: Robin, Paul; Montseny i Carret, Joan; Tolstoy, Leo; Kropotkin, Peter; Proudhon, Pierre-Joseph; Zola, Émile
- Publisher: Edicions i Produccions Multimedia Els Llums, SL
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: General art aspects, art theory, literary essays
- Collection: Urgent Books
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: January 2016
- Number of pages: 158
- Weight: 220 g
Editorial Review
This is a unique work that combines historical rigor with a suggestive intellectual proposal. By gathering the voices of several classic authors around such a specific topic as art in the Modern School, the book offers an original and necessary perspective to understand the intersections between aesthetics, pedagogy, and politics. Its approach makes it a stimulating read for those who seek alternatives to dominant conceptions of art and wish to explore its transformative potential from a critical and committed perspective.