Counterblast: Marshall McLuhan and the sphere of art

This article explores the relationship Marshall McLuhan has with the sphere of modern and contemporary art. Some of McLuhan´s concepts (such as probe, artist, medium) are explained following Wyndham Lewis’s view and understanding of the twentieth-century modernism art sphere. McLuhan’s 1954 edition of Counterblast presents itself as a valuable tool for this analysis. The contemporary art scene is quickly analyzed through a contrast between Paul Virilio’s view on contemporary art and some of McLuhan’s comment on the role of art and the artist. The concepts of cliché and archetype are used for this enterprise.