ABSTRACT
In this chapter Kate Kirkpatrick revisits aesthetic theory, exploring theological and philosophical engagements, as well as phenomenological approaches to art. In so doing, Kirkpatrick draws close attention to the issues with which mysticism presents us when we approach art. Developing a conversation between abstract artists Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Cézanne, together with the psychologist and philosopher William James, and with the phenomenological thinkers Kant, Hegel and Merleau-Ponty, Kirkpatrick argues that mysticism challenges us to do more than look at art. Art in mysticism and mysticism in art do not fit hand in glove with contemporary artistic consumption. The interaction between the two requires that we recognise the value of lived-experience, and particularly the experience of making.
