The Art of Darkness: A Treasury of the Morbid, Melancholic and Macabre [Hardcover]

The Art of Darknessis a visually rich sourcebook featuring eclectic artworks that have been inspired and informed by the morbid, melancholic, and macabre.

Throughout history, artists have beenobsessed with darkness– creating works thathauntandhorrify,mesmeriseanddelight,and play on ourinnermost fears.Gentileschitook revenge with paint inJudith Slaying HoloferneswhileBoschdepicted fearful visions of Hell that still beguile. Victorian Britain became strangely obsessed withthe deadand in NorwayMunchexplored anxiety and fear in one of the most famous paintings in the world (The Scream, 1893). Today, the Chapman Brothers, Damien Hirst and Louise Bourgeois, as well as many lesser known artists working in the margins, are still drawn toall that is macabre.

FromDreams & NightmarestoMatters of Mortality,Depravity & Destruction toGods & Monsters – this book introduces sometimesdisturbingand oftenbeautifulartworks thatindulge our greatest fears, uniting us as humans from century to century. 

But, while these themes might scare us – can’t they also be heartening and beautiful? Exploring and examining the artworks with thoughtful and evocative text, S. Elizabeth offers insight into each artist’s influences and inspirations, askingwhat comfort can be found in facing our demons? Why are we tempted by fear and the grotesque? And what does this tell us about the human mind?

Of course, sometimes there is no good that can come from the sensibilities of darkness and the sickly shivers and sensations they evoke. These are uncomfortable feelings, and we must sit for a while with these shadows – from the safety of our armchairs. 

Artists covered includePablo Picasso,Georgia O'Keeffe, ls£