Literature in our Collection
(A-L)

Drury, Nevill und Anna Voigt: Fire and Shadow. Spirituality in Contemporary Australian Art, HarperCollins, Melbourne 1999 (2. Aufl.), ISBN 1863717587

Table of Contents        ¦         Cover Text        ¦         Book Review

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments -6-

Introduction -7-

The Artists

James Gleeson -15-

Kate Briscoe -29-

Inga Hunter -41-

John Coburn -49-

William Ferguson -63-

Rover Thomas -75-

Mirlkitjungu Millie Skeen -87-

Gloria Tamerre Petyarre -95-

Tim Johnson -103-

Marion Borgelt -119-

Anne Judell -131-

Wendy Stavrianos -139-

Lyn Plummer -157-

Sebastian di Mauro -163-

Ted Snell -173-

Selected Bibliography -182-

Index -184-

Cover Text

The concept of 'spirituality' conveys more than formal religious faith or belief - it relates to the sacred and transcendental dimensions of human consciousness and touches directly on the fundamental mystery which underlies the process of creation. Artists relate to this mystery in different ways - sometimes within the context of a religious tradition, such as Christianity or Buddhism, but more often in an instinctual, non-doctrinal way. Some artists relate their spirituality to the potentialities of human awareness - a sacred potentiality perhaps only partially glimpsed but innate to all human beings - while others see the spirit as an extension of the conscious mind. Others find the sacred within the earth, within rites of passage and transformation, and within archetypal mythologies from both East and West. 'Fire and Shadow' is neither a history nor an overview but focuses on a selection of established and mid-career Australian artists - among them painters, sculptors, installation artists and practitioners of mixed media - who are incorporating spiritual elements and themes in their work. The result is fascinating because the individual perspectives are so diverse, encompassing Roman Catholic and Afro-Christianity, Aboriginal 'dreamings', apocalyptic surrealism, archetypal 'Goddess' imagery, alchemical symbolism, and Buddhist mysticism.