Visions of Enchantment: Occultism, Magic and Visual Culture

Edited by Judith Noble, Daniel Zamani and Merlin Cox

Since Antiquity, the idea of the artist as a magician, trickster and powerful creator of new realities has established itself as a fertile idea in the discussion of image-making. The conjuring of illusions, the inherent link between the material and the spiritual and the wish to make the invisible visible are all part of this wider discourse. This publication looks at the fascinating intersections between esotericism and visual culture through a decidedly cross-cultural lens, with topics ranging from talismanic magic and the Renaissance exploration of alchemy, through to the role of magic in modern art and 20th century experimental film.

Contains a chapter: The Magician, the Mermaid and the Ouroboros: Franz von Stuck and the Iconography of Alchemy – Nathan J. Timpano

Hardback with dust jacket
12.6 x 9.25 inches
208 pages