Art under a spell : gender, sexuality, and esotericism in Los Angeles
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Art Under a Spell: Gender, Sexuality, and Esotericism in Los Angeles examines the roles of magic, altered states of consciousness, and other esoteric practices in the work of Cameron, Kenneth Anger, Curtis Harrington, Wallace Berman, and Steven Arnold. As the center of the burgeoning aerospace industry, psychedelic counterculture, and Hollywood, Los Angeles was uniquely positioned for their otherworldly ambitions. However, what unites these figures beyond geographic proximity are their shared desires to think expansively about identity and sexuality; their propensities toward secrecy and interiority; performative impulses; and ambitions to make the dreamlike worlds of their imaginations come alive. Drawing from rarely seen archival materials, queer and feminist theory, and cultural studies, this dissertation situates esotericism as a means through which these artists engage with and reconfigure conceptions of subjectivity, opting for marginality and social deviancy rather than visibility and legibility. This dissertation not only offers a deeper understanding of these artists, but also calls for methodologies that might embrace the irrational, magical, and hidden impulses within histories of postwar American art.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2023; ©2023 |
| Publication date | 2023; 2023 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Filreis, Kelly |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Meyer, Richard, 1966- |
| Thesis advisor | Meyer, Richard, 1966- |
| Thesis advisor | Aberth, Susan L |
| Thesis advisor | Kwon, Marci |
| Thesis advisor | Nemerov, Alexander |
| Degree committee member | Aberth, Susan L |
| Degree committee member | Kwon, Marci |
| Degree committee member | Nemerov, Alexander |
| Associated with | Stanford University, School of Humanities and Sciences |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Art and Art History |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Kelly Filreis. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Art and Art History. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2023. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/tb919nh1374 |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2023 by Kelly Justine Filreis
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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