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Art and Theosophy
Welcome to the eighth e-newsletter of The
Foundation for Theosophical Studies, which lists our
events this week at the London headquarters of the
Theosophical Society in England.
This week, we focus on Art and Theosophy.
On the right is the first part of a brief history,
crowned with a wonderful head of HPB (1898)
by the Belgian Ferdinand Schirren, and
immediately below we feature Luminary
(2004) and the work of John O’Rourke, who is
the latest in a long line of artists working in the visual
media who have been influenced by
Theosophy. Luminary is currently on
exhibit in London at the Royal British Society of
Sculptors. Spirituality has been
expressed through art and architecture since
before the cosmos began, and this month's
Gallery visit is to Tate Britain to see
art by some of the greatest mystic artists of the 18th
and early 19th centuries, William Blake (1757-
1827), Samuel Palmer (1805-81) and J W
M Turner (1775-1851). We will be carrying more
about Art and Theosophy in future
newsletters. Several TS members in England are
researching this area and would be pleased to hear
from readers who can add to their knowledge.
This week our programme, details below, also
includes a Sunday lecture and Meditation by
the author Margaret Dempsey and an
open meeting of Blavatsky Lodge on
Thursday, as well as regular on-going
courses.
Also on Sunday we have our annual
Members’ Day. If you are not a member, there
is still time to join, but do let us know in
advance if you intend to come for lunch!
Membership will give you discounts on our
lectures and courses, as well as entry to occasional
members-only meetings.
Thank you for all your comments so far about the
newsletter and the sign up process (we are still
sorting the click-throughs – apologies!). Do
please forward this
newsletter to your friends and fellow TS members
and encourage them to sign up! And if you can't get
to 50 Gloucester Place, you can always buy
CDs or tapes of many of
our lectures.
Very best wishes,
Colyn Boyce
Publicity and Administrator
The Foundation is an educational charity which
uses theosophical principles to promote knowledge
and the study of religion, philosophy and science;
which also researches the laws of nature and the
powers latent in man; and which promulgates the
unity of all people
| Exhibition: John O’Rourke's Sculptures |
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18@108 is a series of three consecutive
sculpture exhibitions taking place at the
Royal British Society of Sculptors. Each show
consists of six artists who are members of the RBS
and the respective themes of the three exhibitions are
Wood, Mixed Media & Glass and Resin.
John O'Rourke has two works in the first
show (Wood)
which runs from 28 February-11 May 2007,
RBS
Gallery, 108 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3RA.
Open Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays 10 am –
4.30 pm. For further details email: info@rbs.org.uk
We invited John to give an outline of his
contribution to
the show:
Luminary 2004 (pictured) was the first
outcome of my
Fine Art practice-led PhD in progress, through
University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Installed in
the
gallery with its electrically illuminated nimbus, this is
the sculpture’s first showing in London. Made from
European oak, it is informed by a spiritual
Path
culminating in union with an impersonally
transcendent Self; the halo being a symbolic means
of acknowledging this inner Reality. As with other
sculptures of this type, which I began developing in
the early nineties, a complex of micro architectural
interior spaces (some being very well hidden and
others clearly visible) are integral to the work’s
symbolism.
My research degree consists of producing
paintings,
drawings, photographic works and sculptures over
five years. The first two years were supervised by
Professor Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke at University of
Wales, Lampeter. Following his move to Exeter
University, my supervisor is now Professor John
Harvey at the University’s Art School at Aberystwyth.
The theme of my PhD is Theosophy’s Seven
Human
Principles as mirrored (intentionally or otherwise) in
the arts. A final exhibition of my work will be held
at
Aberystwyth, in January 2009, and
this will be
accompanied by an illustrated text entitled
Chambers
of the Self: Occult Principles of Humanity in
Art. Where
this written outcome is concerned, I use the word ‘art’
in a generic sense, referring to a wide range of
creativity including literature and film. My longer-term
aim is for the work to be published.
Chambers of the Self is also the title of
a more recent
sculptural form - Efficacious Symbolism of
Phenomena (www.theosoc.org.uk
). This work,
recently exhibited at Gloucester Place, will be
represented in A1 size photographic form in the same
18@108 exhibition. Where the interior
spaces of my
work are concerned, Chambers of the Self
is
particularly involved, a matter which will obviously be
lost in its photographic representation, whereas
Luminary is more deceptive in its
relative simplicity.
On Sunday 18 April, two other artists in the
exhibition
and I will each be giving 15 minute illustrated
talks on
our work in the gallery. This begins at 6.00
pm,
followed by refreshments and general discussion.
The evening is free and open to the
public.
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| This week at 50 Gloucester Place |
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WEDNESDAY 7 March 2007
7 – 9 pm: ASTRO-NUMEROLOGY AND YOUR
LIFE STORY
Clemens Brenan
Your Essence numbers foretell the big events
destined to occur in each year of your life. How they
combine with your Personal Year numbers
and
Planetary Influences further delineates your
destiny.
In this course you will learn to construct your own
Destiny Chart out of these vital elements. To
interpret
it we will deeply examine the Pythagorean
meanings
of the nine single-digit numbers. Come prepared to
share and discuss your chart openly, and so compare
it with your actual life so far. The insights you gain will
fill you with compassion and wonder for the journey
you are on.
Clemens Brenan is a psychic consultant
and
healing practitioner. He combines clairvoyance with
readings in Numerology, Tarot and Mayan
Astrology.
£8 (£6 concessions + TS members)
THURSDAY 8 March 2007
6.45 pm BLAVATSKY LODGE: Essential Principles
of Theosophical Work
Dr Edi
Bilimoria
Open meeting of the
Blavatsky Lodge
£5 (£2 members of Blavatsky Lodge, £3 other TS
members)
SUNDAY 11 March 2007
11.30 - 4.00 pm: MEMBERS' DAY
All members are welcome
11.30 Welcome & Introduction;
Talk: Theosophy, Cornerstone of All Religions
National President Colin Price
12.30 Lunch (£3.00)
1.45 History of the Theosophical Society
Colyn Boyce, Publicist and Administrator
Tour of the Library
Barry Thompson, Librarian and Bookshop
Manager
2.30 Tea
3.00 Questions & Discussion on Theosophy and the
Society
3.45 Piano Recital: short pieces by Edvard Grieg
Donald Roots
4.00 Close
Free admission but prior booking for lunch (£3)
required
4.45 – 5.45 pm: THEOSOPHY: Way to Self-
Discovery
Leader: Colin Price, National President of
The Theosophical Society in England
An informal on-going class in which the basic
teachings of Theosophy (Greek for Divine Wisdom)
are explored and discussed. In this class we will
consider the sevenfold nature of humanity and the
cosmos and how karma and reincarnation are
involved. The book Deity, Cosmos and
Man
will be used as the main source text for the
meetings.
Free admission
6 pm: THE TRANSFORMATION FROM HUMAN TO
SPIRITUAL
Margaret Dempsey
The human journey usually begins with a crisis of
some kind which serves as an awakening. The
transformation from human to spiritual progresses
through a number of well defined and documented
stages. Margaret Dempsey outlines each
stage and
follows it with a guided meditation which
allows
participants to experience the power of the
transformative process.
Margaret
Dempsey has
studied and practiced Mahayana Buddhism
for 10
years and she is currently writing a book called
Journey to the Self.
£7(£5 concessions + TS members)
MONDAY 12 March 2007
2 pm: THEOSOPHICAL GALLERY TOURS:
Blake, Palmer and Turner – The Spirit of
Britain
Tate Britain, Millbank - Meet at the main
entrance
London’s Galleries and Museums are a
storehouse
of
all the world’s riches, many of which have meaning
from a theosophical perspective. George
McNamara
is leading another short series of visits to galleries on
Mondays at 2 pm for members of the TS, inquirers or
friends. Though he’s not an expert in any of these
topics, he hopes that a small group can pool
understanding and sensitivity to art and history (and
have a piping hot cup of coffee too).
Phone George on 078 8181 3242 to catch up if
you are delayed. You can also email George on
george@whatever-will.be
TUESDAY 30 January 2007
7– 8.30 pm: THE SECRET DOCTRINE
Leader:
Victor Hangya
In the midst of today’s
materialism and ruins of old
religions you are invited to join the excavation of the
perennial wisdom! The tool used in our exploration is
The Secret Doctrine, which
claims ‘logical
coherence and consistency’ and expects to be
treated as a ‘working hypothesis’, so freely accepted
by modern science. The SD sheds light on some of
the greatest mysteries concerning Man, God and the
Universe. Victor Hangya has been exploring
the
Ageless Wisdom for more than 20 years.
Free admission
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ART AND THEOSOPHY |
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When Annie Besant and C W Leadbeater
published Thought Forms in 1901,
Theosophy had already been influencing
many artists,
including sculptors, designers and architects, for a
quarter of a century. The Theosophical
movement was a very potent and widespread
force throughout society from its inception in 1875 and
it was well-known to all and sundry, especially in
artistic circles, until well into the 20th century.
Some
artists were members of the Theosophical
Society but many more read the theosophical
works of H P Blavatsky and others, which
were common currency at that time, and which
inspired them creatively to draw upon the spiritual
truths and ageless wisdom that Theosophy
revealed.
Two of the most famous artists/TS members,
both directly
influenced by HPB’s work, were
Modernists: Wassily Kandinsky (1866-
1944), the Russian émigré, whose fabulous abstract
paintings were exhibited to great acclaim last year at
Tate Modern and who wrote a famous essay,
Concerning the Spiritual in Art in 1910;
and
Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), the Dutch De
Stijl painter who pioneered theosophical
concepts of line and colour in art. The work of both
artists was on show last year at the Victoria
and Albert Museum whose
Modernism exhibition highlighted
Modernism’s spiritual roots.
Kandinsky, and his friend, Paul Klee
(1879-1940), who was also influenced by theosophy,
taught at the Bauhaus, the Modernist
school which flourished in Germany until 1933
when it was closed by the Nazis who considered it
degenerate. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
many notable German artists took inspiration
from Theosophy and joined the Movement.
Another TS member was one of
America’s most famous architects, Frank
Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), who believed that
humanity should be central to all design and whose
fabulous innovative houses, drawing on nature and
the natural world, revolutionised architecture in the
20th century. Similarly, Sir Edwin Lutyens
(1869-1944), the famous British architect of New
Delhi (1912-1931), though not a member, was
strongly influenced by Theosophy through his
wife, Lady Emily (daughter of Bulwer-
Lytton), a devotee of Krishnamurti.
Lutyens even designed a theosophical
house for two TS members, Les Blois des
Moutiers at Varengeville, Northern France,
which incorporates theosophical motifs and symbols
throughout.
Many artists of the Symbolist school,
particularly in Belgium, were
Theosophists or influenced by theosophy.
These included Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921)
and Jean Delville (1867-1953) who exhibited
at the art dealer and esotericist Josephin
Péladan's
Salons de la Rose + Croix (1892-
1897) and mixed with Theosophists who
included the traveller Alexandra David-Neel
and later Annie Besant, who visited Brussels
in 1899 and helped found a theosophical art
journal. The sculptor Ferdinand Schirren
(1872-1944), whose Portrait de Madame
Helena Blavatski (1898) in plaster is at the top
of this article, was also a member. (To be
continued)
Sources:
Wikipedia
In Search of the Forme-Pensée: The Influence of
Theosophy on Belgian Artists (1890–1910) by
Sébastien Clerbois
Author's own research
Find out more....
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