Art and Poetry

Originally titled Frontières de la Poésie (1935), this book by Jacques Maritain, whose philosophical writings read as interestingly as a novel, will be welcomed by all who are seeking a better understanding of the art of our time. The book delves into Maritain’s thoughts on the nature and subjectivity of art and poetry. As a philosopher, Maritain attempts to define the two concepts, describing art and poetry as virtues, and as being primarily concerned with beauty. Rather than focus on aesthetic theory, Maritain examines the concepts at a more tangible level, including a discussion of how they are made. The principles established with such precision and brilliance in his earlier work, Art and Scholasticism, which has had such a deep influence on contemporary artists, are successfully put to the test in illuminating the creative works of such diverse artists as Georges Rouault, Marc Chagall, Gino Sevirini, and Arthur Lourie.