The Theosophical society has made large contributions towards the Arts since its conception. Its major contribution was during the advent of Abstraction during the turn of the last century from about 1890 to 1920, and this had followed on into the 1950’s and still is strong among some artist today. At about the 1910 Kandinsky, a Theosophist at that time, had been recognized as the artist who had made the first fully abstract painting
First abstract painting 1910 Kandinsky (Theosophist)
Also during this time Mondrian, also a Theosophist had made major contributions to the progression of abstract art.
Mondrian minimalist painting
‘Kandinsky’s manifesto, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, is heavily indebted to H. P. Blavatsky and Theosophy, and his early efforts to free himself from the representational mode of painting were deeply influenced by the book ‘Thought Forms’ by Annie Besant and Charles W. Leadbeater. Piet Mondrian was a long-time member of the Theosophical Society, and the whole body of his work is an effort to express certain fundamental theosophical concepts relating to the polarity of spirit and matter and the threefold nature of the ultimate world-stuff.’ Prof. John Algeo http://www.au.org.au/tsia-article-theosophy-and-the-zeitgeist.html
You could say that the Theosophical society is fulfilling its primary objective and that is establishing the ‘Universal Brotherhood without distinction based on the realization that life, and all its diverse forms, human and non-human, is indivisibly One” through the arts. It is doing this by freeing the mind from representational-culture based thinking to more universal perceptive and intuitive mode of ‘reasoning’. The mind takes on a ‘meditative way’ of looking at abstract form and this continues into daily living.
This year, 2010, Charles Saatchi, a collector of art and a deciding force in the art world in UK and the world, had an exhibition of young artist, and one of the sculptures was titled Madame Blavatsky. The sculpture was made in 2007, but widely shown in 2010 and that is today, right now. Theosophy still shows itself to the world through the arts, though a levitating figure is not what Madam Blavatsky is all about. But still she is here today partly because of the Arts. It is ironic how the ancients brought about the modern in art.
Goshka Macuga Madame Blavatsky
2007
Carved wood, fibreglass, clothes, chairs 114.3 x 190.5 x 73.6 cm
So, are the driving forces and the message of Theosophy to the world today and in the near future to be through the arts and crafts, and music and literature etc? If you think about its transformative powers, in having contributed to an important event in the turn of the last century, the arts took the bold step and found its way from realism into abstraction through Kandinsky and Mondrian who were both Theosophists. Perception crossed the line from the external to the inner self. Some of us might not think it but we are never the same again for it. When the concept permeated our living space realism in our minds would have crossed the line from the external into the inner self and forced us to look at things in a different way. Perception, intuition, chance, spontaneity and insight would have become more important in reading the inner self. The seeking of the intangible Truth of things more important than seeking the object. Of knowing once place in the universe more important than ones place at home. From the outer to the inner. A new world to ponder. Abstract art is here today and just over a hundred years ago it was not. All because of a few who decided to cross the line and chance a form in the, “the true spirit of Art”, without considering the consequences to their careers. Kandinsky was known to carry the book ‘Thought forms’ by Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater. Theosophical society? ART, advent of abstraction. But what has the Theosophical society got to do with the arts?!!: Art history today, I am afraid.
The Theosophical Society should be proud of creating a new direction in the Arts. The flame burns quietly as to its contributions as seen in its beautiful surroundings and buildings at Adyar, the headquarters of the Theosophical society. The society has its own museum and archives located on the ground floor of the Headquarters building. The collection of artifacts and the art works that were presented to the society, the grounds and its beautiful architecture could be considered the permanent retrospective of Madam Blavatsky as ‘artist’ who lived it and created it as it is today. She has left behind not just a collection of ideas and paintings, but rather as artist she had left behind a society that has transformed and moved forward because of her. Charles Saatchi, art collector and promoter of possibilities of the ‘new’ in art, celebrates her presence in 2010, almost 120 years after she has passed on, as a reminder to the world of her contributions to society as an artist extraordinaire. During that creative period of change in the direction of the arts between 1890 and 1920 you will find coincidently paintings and sculptures that were donated to the Theosophical Society by artists of the time, as if celebrating the new in the arts, like ‘The messenger’ by Nicholas Roerich in 1925. Madam Blavatsky as messenger perhaps, recognizing her contribution, to the new form and to the new order in the world at that time.
The Theosophical grounds with its buildings, museum and archive rooms is a wonderful repository to remind oneself of its place in the world today in all things, including the arts.
During the convention, sandwiched between the school of wisdom classes from November to early February, the place comes alive with its members from around the world to witness the beauty of the societies grounds and in it they see its place in the world regarding its contributions to the changing form in the arts, and hence in the minds of not only their members, but to the population in general. Its access to the young masters of the future is present locally through their schools, but to the wider population of the world it must be through a medium that is more accessible to them. Wisdom classes is fine for the older generation of seekers of the Truth but for the young the answer is through the arts and crafts, plug and play, pots of paints and brushes etc. And then through skilled based adventures as they develop their creative minds and apply them to their sciences: creativity becomes the way to learning. The mind takes on a broader more intuitive way of studying. Theosophy silently playing its part in creating the future and doing it silently in the minds of the young through the arts. The Society’s power to transform through the arts had established itself with the advent of abstraction.
So what’s ‘new’ and what’s next for the contribution to the arts by the teachings of the Theosophical Society? The ‘Society’ – as it is mystically known to the residents of the town of Adyar in India – is a place of freedom to explore the possibilities in the Arts and the Self to look for the ‘new’. So when visitors come to the society and sit and draw or paint: they celebrate the place of the society in the creative world. The Society will move forwards and towards a single society through the Arts.
In the words of J. Krishnamurti:“you may be a potential writer, or a poet, or a painter. Whatever it is, if you really love to do it, you are not ambitious, because in love there is no ambition.” (Life Ahead chapter 7) You do it because Art indicates a level of reality that is higher than being merely material. Kandinsky wanted his paintings to Transfix people, for his compositions to be meditative in nature and to be able to transform. Abstract art and how it is done can do that. The process itself for the artist is transforming in nature and he tries to pass that on to his viewer through its mark making, through spontaneity and chance, by chasing the mistake and finding form: hoping its manifestations has an element of the Truth in it, and of the laws which govern the universe: you can literally feel this when the painting finally falls into place. Only by doing you will know. But creativity should not end in the artist’s studio. Outside it, your life should be like your work. You live it as you do it and Madam Blavatsky lived her art. She was a complete individual who saw further than most, sensed both the material reality and the unseen world. She was this that and the other, all of all, who in creating the Theosophical Society, created her perfect ever functioning permanent artistic installation which is part of the fabric of society today. And the ‘Exhibition’ that is held every year end, that they call the ‘Convention’ is a performance piece, celebrating her with, talks, music(this year, one to watch, Nirali Kartik, up and coming contemporary Indian classical singer) and dance, depicting the future world in miniature and credit given to all the ‘actors’ of Adyar, including those who come from across the world to play their part in making it happen.
The existence of a reality that transcended the material world was precisely the selling point of Madame Blavatsky’s ‘secret doctrine’: ‘In the 21st century this earth will seem a paradise compared to what it is now,’ she wrote. Literature, music and art are the first and most sensitive spheres in which the spiritual revelation will be felt.’ She should know: as she was an artist extraordinaire, not only in the visual arts, but an artist of all life: both the tangible and intangible worlds.
Siri