"Between the Ikon
and the Madonna" 

Closeup of Madonna & Child,
"Blue Pieta"  (private collection)

High quality, Continuous Tone Litho
is available of this collectible image.

"Christmas Sophia"
Millennium Edition 2000

21" x 27" Signed Giclee:  $450

Collectible and Frameable
6" x 9" Deluxe Cards/Envelopes
10 for $ 18.00

PAINTINGS OF FAITH

NEW VIDEO 
PAINTINGS OF FAITH
From the I L L U M I N I S M   A Q U A R E L L E Studio

FIGURAL PAINTINGS
(22" X 28")

A NARRATED ESSAY
TO 
 I L L U M I N I S M

1. Washing of Feet #IX
2. Drying of the Feet # I
3. Washing of Feet #X
4. Golden Pieta #IV
5. Midnight Grail
6. Violet Grail  (Solomon's Child)
7. St. Christopher Guardian
8. Good Friday Emerald

ILLUMINISM has its roots in the historical tradition of painting
that is closely related to the mysteries of Light & Darkness. 
Light and darkness are the underlying realities of
Nature, the Cosmos, and the individual soul.

 One way of thinking about Painting is to see it in six aspects. 
The first three are: objects, form, and color. 
The second three are: light, space and movement.
The latter three, light, space and movement, 
comprise the inner and invisible aspect of painting. 

Strictly speaking, we do not see light, space and movement,
but only experience their effect in our environment. 
In this sense, objects (matter), color, and form are the
outer dimensions and manifestation. 

Color links the inner and outer.
The symbolism and mysteries of light and darkness
as regarding ILLUMINISM, are traceable to ancient
Persia and the historical figure of Manes.  However,
Taoist painting and Buddhist painting, although
emphasizing nature and landscape, also contained a
profound mystical element of the esoteric dimension
of light and darkness, as well as space and movement. 
ILLUMINISM and the quest for light,
strongly developed as a theosophy during the Middle Ages,
during Five Centuries of the Ikon culture which ended about
the time of Cinambue and FraAngelica. 
One artist in particular created an amazing bridge
between the Gothic and the Renaissance, and that
was M. Gruenewald. His paintings are still considered
as some of the most enigmatic and moving
works ever created in the Christian tradition.

Other painters such as Rembrandt, Turner, Blake, and Cotman,
have also contributed to the development of ILLUMINISM. 

 Although ILLUMINISM stands on the shoulders
of many great artists of the past, it was
Rudolf Steiner Ph.D., the founder of Anthroposophy,
who must be credited with its current development. 
Dr. Steiner was active during the time of great influx
of Eastern spiritual influences in the West.  He actively
responded to the request of artists such as Kandinsky
and Mondrian who were searching for a spiritual
meaning in painting, during a time of chaos
and crisis.  Today, spiritual eclecticism 
along with transpersonal psychology,
are commonplace.  Dr. Steiner was
exceptional amongst the avant garde leaders
in this compelling search for universal, global
spiritual-social reform.  As his main inspiration,
he drew from Goethe, the author of Faust and
Goethe's Color Theory.  Since his early work at
university, Rudolf Steiner distinguished himself
from a plethora of spiritual religious leaders,
by pragmatism and active interest,
experimentation and research into color in
art, science and spirituality.  Having been gifted with
clairvoyance from youth, Dr. Steiner provided artists
with a new basis to approach art, color and painting.

  Especially, he made the correlation between
light, color and darkness with thinking, feeling and willing.
This understanding of color as integral to the evolution
of the human being, both cosmic and physical, was able
to endow Art with a healing and spiritual property
which appears to have a long future ahead of it.

 The inspiration, instruction and illustrations examples
provided by Rudolf Steiner are a continued source of
inspiration for the spiritually-oriented artist.  His
voluminous teachings contain countless references
to light,  color and darkness.  Despite this,
Illuminism is created in the spirit of independent
thinking, to which Dr. Steiner devoted his life.

 Two artists in particular must be mentioned
regarding the development of his indications. 
They are Arnold Von Rosenkrantz and Liane Collot d'Herbois. 
Both of these accomplished and professional artists realized
the importance of evolving the technical means to implement
spiritual concept into painting. Both artists searched throughout
their lives for a means by hich to paint out of the light, in large,
translucent, films or planes of color.  An expression very familiar
to Anthroposophic painting is that of "form arising out of color."
There are many meanings and possibilities to this seminal phrase.
Both dedicated painters were determined to create paintings in
which there was a sense of space developed through the sequencing 
of color.  Secondly, the cultivated a luminosity, or at times an
incandescent opalescence which glowed from within the color.
Finally, they sought a sense of movement throughout the painting
since Dr. Steiner constantly referred to color as movement
to free painting from its static condition.  Form out of Color,
to this day continues to unveil its mysteries.

 - Leszek Forczek

 I L L U M I N I S M   A Q U A R E L L E Studio

PO Box 1153
Sebastopol, CA  95473
707-824-2238

PAINTINGS OF FAITH - FIGURALS