Maritain’s Ontology of the Work of Art by John W. Hanke (review)

336 Books an evolutionary framework colored by 19th-century optimism also would eliminate from art elements such as the ugly, which 1find are necessary to a larger harmony. I especially appreciated the second chapter, Psychophysics in Perspective, as it shows this child of 19th-century scientificthoughtin relation to thinking sincethe Renaissance. There is a tendency in the book at times to make of Henry a somewhat larger than life hero. This might be somewhat accounted for by the scarcity of biographical material. Also, some of the footnotes might have been incorporated in the text, for they would have enriched the narrative. Aside from this nitpicking, it is a worthwhile book. TheVoice of the Symbol. Martin Grotjahn. Mara Books, LOS Angeles, Calif., 1971. 224 pp., illus. $8.00. Symbolism and Art Nouveau. Alistair Mackintosh. Thames & Hudson, London, 1975. 64 pp., illus. Paper, f0.95. Reviewed by Peter Fingaten* Symbol interpreting, although often accompanied by much knowledge, is an act similar to that of a musician who interprets a sonata. Sigmund Freud was in the unique position of having been the originator of psychoanalysisas well as the first skilled practitioner of an approach forged by himself. In Freud a cybernetic process was operative as he changed, modified and improved his basic insights and interpretive methods. In his latest book, Grotjahn brings a broad intellectual culture to bear upon the symbols that he analyzes. The 10 chapters are not connected and do not represent a systematic treatment of the subject but reflect a wide selection of his interests. One of the key remarks of the book is: ‘To listen to the silent voices of the symbol is a difficult undertaking. The more one tries to make the symbol clear in writing, the farther one moves away from it. The more one listens, the less one understands. The closer you look, the less you see it’ (p. vi). His approach is descriptive or diagnostic, without that fruitful interplay between symbol and analyst that is called cybernetic. Nevertheless, he offers many valid insights and a felicitous rephrasing of classic Freudian concepts. Of special interest to artists is the author’s attempt to decipher the symbolic message of Hieronymus Bosch’s painting, ‘The Millennium’ (Prado). He acts as if he alone knows what Bosch really meant with his allegories. ‘The middle part of the triptych, the so-called “Garden of Delight ”, is a cryptogram. It is a secret message given in secret pictorial language’ (p. 116). It is extremely risky for a psychoanalyst to read secret messages from equally secret pictorial symbols! A psychoanalyst attempts to make order out of disorder, which, incidentally, is also the classic definition of art. The author’s remarks on relationships between artists and their symbols are sensitive and insightful, even if he himself is more of a craftsman working in the shadow of a genius rather than an original interpreter. The small book by Alistair Mackintosh has a large scope, correlating Art Nouveau with the ‘public eroticism’ of Ingres and the aesthetics of Delacroix. The author traces the several strands from the occultism of Eliphas Levy and H. P. Blavatsky to the esoteric fantasies of Peladan, who had such an enormous influenceover the symbolists in Paris. His miniature essays on Gauguin, Puvis de Chavannes, Moreau, Redon, the Pre-Raphaelites, Beardsley and Picasso are as sensitive as they are insightful. Fine color plates round out this surprisingly informative and entirely satisfying book. Style in Art History: An Introduction to Theoriesof Style and Sequence. Margaret Finch. ScarecrowPress, Metuchen, N.J., 1974. 170pp., illus. $6.00. Reviewed by Alan C. Birnholz** Margaret Finch’s little book is precisely what she says it is: an introduction to various theories of style and stylistic *Art and Music Dept., Pace College, 41 Park Row, New York, NY 10003, U.S.A. **Dept. of Art History, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214, U.S.A. change. As such, this book‘s usefulnessis limited to students and teachers who want a comprehensive, decent survey of what has been said on the subject of style. Style in Art Hisfory,then, gives us little that is new with few exceptions, such as Finch’s effort ‘to combine especially...