An original study of Marx's views of the visual arts interpreted from an art historical, rather than literary, perspective. The text focuses on the patronage of the German "Nazarenes" during the 1840s and the way twentieth century social theorists and artists have interpreted Marx.
Contents
List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. Visual Art and Aesthetic Theory in Marx's Early Years: 1. Hellenes vs. Nazarenes; 2. Feuerbach and the 'Nazarene' madonna; 3. Marx's lost aesthetic: the early years under Friedrich Wilhelm IV; 4. Marx's Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts and the development of a 'productivist' aesthetic; 5. Towards an outline of artistic production, or the 'charm' of a materialist aesthetic; Part II. The Russian Saint-Simon: The Artist as Producer in Russia from the 1830s to the 1930s and Beyond: 6. Saint-Simonists and Realists; 7. The Constructivists of the 1920s and the concept of avant-garde; 8. Avant-garde vs. 'Agroculture': problems of the avant-garde - from Lenin to Stalin and after; Conclusion; Notes; Select Bibliography; Index.
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