A Snake's Tail Full of Ants: Art Ecology and Consciousness (Resurgence Book) - Softcover

John Lane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 187009865X ISBN 13: 9781870098656

Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co, 1996

Synopsis

There is evidence of a sea-change in Western consciousness, which implies a fundamental rejection of the Arts of Humanism: cut off from society, from nature and the sacred. John Lane both celebrates the power and challenges the defects of this five hundred year old tradition, questioning among other matters the institution of the self-directed professional artist. Challenging and illuminating, A Snake's Tail Full of Ants looks forward to a time when creative expression is not lofty, professionalised and unapproachable but closely interwoven with the activities of daily life.

About this title

About the Author:

John Lane (1930 - 2012) was a painter, writer and educationalist. He was Chairman of the Dartington Hall Trust, founding direct of the Beaford Arts centre and instrumental in the creation of Schumacher College. His books include The Living Tree: Art and the Sacred, Timeless Simplicity: Creative Living in a Consumer Society, Timeless Beauty in the Arts and Everyday Life and The Spirit of Silence: Making Space for Creativity. He lived in Devon for over 40 years.

Review:

The intriguing title is taken from Ingmar Bergman, who likens the current situation in the arts to  a snake s tail full of ants. The snake is long dead, eaten, deprived of poison, but the skin is full of meddlesome life. However John Lane s purpose is not to condemn and castigate, but, on the contrary, to reaffirm, rediscover and rekindle the sacred fire, to find a way through the present chaos to a future renewal. . . John Lane s eloquent words will find an echo in many hearts. * Kathleen Raine, poet and Blake scholar *

About this edition

• Publisher: Chelsea Green Pub Co
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 187009865X
• ISBN 13: 9781870098656
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 317