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This book demonstrates that numerous prominent artists in every period of the modern era were expressing spiritual interests when they created celebrated works of art. This magisterial overview insightfully reveals the centrality of an often denied and misunderstood element in the cultural history of modern art.

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Introduction: The Great Underground River That Flows Through Modern Art 1. The 19th Century: Expressing Christian Themes in a Newly Secular World 2. Mid-1880s through 1918: The Quest to Save Civilization from ´Materialism´ Through a New Art Informed by Esoteric Spirituality 3. 1919-1939: The Reaction against Prewar Esoteric Spirituality 4. 1945 to the Present: Allusive Spirituality 5. 1945 to the Present: Spirituality of Immanence 6. 1945 to the Present: Rocked in the Bosom of Abraham Afterword: When Form Follows Spirit Appendix: Making the Case Index

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Charlene Spretnak is the author of several books on cultural history, religion and spirituality, and social criticism, including States of Grace, The Resurgence of the Real, Missing Mary, and Relational Reality. A professor emerita in religion and philosophy, she lives with her husband in Ojai, California, USA.

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