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The Sinister Side
How left-right symbolism shaped Western art
James Hall
512 pages
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30 B&W halftones
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234x156mm
978-0-19-923086-0
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Hardback
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23 October 2008
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- A highly original work of cultural history - revealing some of the greatest works of art in a completely new light
- Explores how works of art reflect our changing cultural ideas about the natural world, human nature, and the mind, and provides a key to understanding art in its social and intellectual context
- Takes a broad historical view - looking at works of art from the Renaissance to the present day, and at both religious and secular painting
- Shows how, through looking at the left and right symbolism in art, we can glimpse the birth of psychology from its origins in magic, superstition, and fear
- James Hall is a critically acclaimed art historian with a special interest in exploring the wider implications of art
Why does the Mona Lisa have an uneven smile? Was Picasso's Demoiselles d'Avignon an exploration of Satanism? Why did Michelangelo depict so many left-handed archers? Why did the British Queen look so different when Annie Liebowitz lit her from her left side in a recent official portrait?
The answer to all these questions lies in a hidden symbolic language in the visual arts: that of the perceived differences between the left and right sides of the body. It is a symbolism that has been interpreted by artists through the centuries, and that can be uncovered in many of our
greatest masterpieces, but that has been long forgotten about or misunderstood by those concerned with the history of art and the human body. The Sinister Side reveals the key, and sheds new light on some of the greatest art from before the Renaissance to the present day.
Traditionally, in almost every culture and religion, the left side has been regarded as inferior - evil, weak, worldly, feminine - while the right is good, strong, spiritual and male. But starting in the Renaissance, this hierarchy was questioned and visualised as never before. The left side, in part because of the presence of the heart, became the side that represented authentic human feelings, especially love. By the late nineteenth century, with the rise of interest in the occult and in
spiritualism, the left side had become associated with the taboo and with the unconscious. Exploring how works of art reflect our changing cultural ideas about the natural world, human nature, and the mind, James Halls'Sinister Side is the first book to detail the richness and subtlety of left-right symbolism in art, and to show how it was a catalyst for some of the greatest works of visual art from Botticelli and Van Eyck to Vermeer and Dali.Readership: The general reader interested in a highly original take on symbolism in art. Also academics and students of cultural history and art history, those working in the performing and visual arts, and the intelligent reader interested in psychology, the relationship
between the mind and body, and the occult.
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James Hall, Freelance art critic and historian
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"an engrossing study, deeply and imaginatively researched... [the book] oozes credibility." - Keith Miller, Times Literary Supplement "A grippingly enjoyable, profoundly insightful, excitingly provocative book" - Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, The Art Newspaper "...brilliant book..." - Andrew Marr, Start the Week "The right versus left issue is fascinating...[a] searching new book." - Michael Glover, The Independent "This pioneering and entertaining book does much more than succeed in its modest aim of prompting 'further reflection and research.'" - John McEwan, The Tablet "Hall is refreshingly broad in his approach." -
John McEwan, The Tablet "This is a clever book that has the great merit of persuading us to look more closely at familiar paintings." - Paul Johnson, Literary Review "An excellent entry point for a close look at a painting, especially one we take for granted, and there is no denying that James Hall has written a stimulating and valuable book." - Paul Johnson, Literary Review
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Introduction
ANTIQUITY AND AFTER
Turning Right
1: Avoiding the Beer-Cellar:Left-Right Conventions
2: Heraldic Images
3: Fair Game
4: Sun and Moon
RENAISSANCE TO ENLIGHTENMENT
Contesting Left and Right
5: Darkened Eyes
Balancing Left and Right
6: The Choice of Hercules
7: Double Vision
8: Rembrandt's Eyes
Turning Left
9: The Death of Christ 1:Crossing Over
10: The Death of Christ 2: Not Idle
11: Courtly Love
12: Fragile Beauty
13: Leonardo and the Look of Love
14: Prisoners of Love
15: Lovelocks
16: Honourary Left-Handers
MODERNITY
Rethinking Left and Right
17: 'To Err Forever'
18: Picasso and Chiromancy
19: Picasso and Satanism
20: Modern Primitives
Coda
21: God Save the Queen
References
Index
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The specification in this catalogue, including without limitation price, format, extent, number of illustrations, and month of publication, was as accurate as possible at the time the catalogue was compiled. Occasionally, due to the nature of some contractual restrictions, we are unable to ship a specific product to a particular territory. Jacket images are provisional and liable to change before publication.
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