Art and the human spirit : The meaning and relations of sculpture, painting,…
"Art and the Human Spirit" by Edward Howard Griggs is a handbook of lectures on aesthetics and the fine arts written in the early 20th century. It argues that art is not a luxury, a sermon, or mere technique, but a vital means of expressing and interpreting human life “for life’s sake.” The work examines the unity and distinct functions of sculpture, painting, music, and poetry, their origins in religion and myth,
and their role in liberal culture and the art of living. The opening of this handbook sets its aim and clears away three misconceptions—art as dispensable adornment, as moralizing, or as technical display—insisting that true art is serious and for life. It defines art as the adequate and harmonious expression and interpretation of human experience, shows the unity and variety across the arts, and emphasizes that every artwork selects and idealizes reality. It then traces the arts’ primitive sources in religion, hymn, dance, and mythology; highlights the ethical and imaginative value of Hebrew, Greek, and Norse materials; and explains how race, epoch, and individual temperament shape creation. Subsequent outlines sketch the means and limits of sculpture and painting, the dynamic, time‑based power of music (and its composite forms like song and opera), and poetry’s twin kinship with both the visual and musical arts. A chapter on literature argues for its central place in liberal culture and sets out four avenues of study: content, form, and each in historical context. The final section begins to probe beauty, appreciation, and art’s ministry to daily life before the excerpt breaks off. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Griggs, Edward Howard, 1868-1951 |
|---|---|
| LoC No. | 09001244 |
| Title | Art and the human spirit : The meaning and relations of sculpture, painting, poetry and music |
| Original Publication | New York: B. W. Huebsch, 1908. |
| Credits | Alan, Tim Miller and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | N: Fine Arts |
| Subject | Aesthetics |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 78154 |
| Release Date | Mar 9, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 280 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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