SirPalomides Posted December 4, 2023 https://centrostudimetafisici.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/surrealism-esoteric-secrets-200-221.pdf I'm about 2/3 through this fascinating book and I wonder if anyone else has read it. It is, on the one hand, extremely dense and if I didn't have a basic grasp of the history of surrealism and some of the key people, I would be totally lost. (I'd read the Andre Breton anthology What is Surrealism?, including the lengthy introduction, as well as Pierre Mabille's wonderful book on surrealism and myth, Mirror of the Marvelous). As it is, it can still be tricky reading. Overall it charts the surrealists' involvement in a number of esoteric currents, in the service their poetic occultism. I have sometimes seen this involvement characterized as a mere whimsical dabbling but this book makes it clear that it was quite profound. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandelaar Posted December 4, 2023 I have the book, but haven't read it yet. Too busy with other things... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zhongyongdaoist Posted December 4, 2023 2 hours ago, SirPalomides said: https://centrostudimetafisici.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/surrealism-esoteric-secrets-200-221.pdf I'm about 2/3 through this fascinating book and I wonder if anyone else has read it. It is, on the one hand, extremely dense and if I didn't have a basic grasp of the history of surrealism and some of the key people, I would be totally lost. (I'd read the Andre Breton anthology What is Surrealism?, including the lengthy introduction, as well as Pierre Mabille's wonderful book on surrealism and myth, Mirror of the Marvelous). As it is, it can still be tricky reading. Overall it charts the surrealists' involvement in a number of esoteric currents, in the service their poetic occultism. I have sometimes seen this involvement characterized as a mere whimsical dabbling but this book makes it clear that it was quite profound. (Emphasis mine, ZYD) The "official line" on all such interests in spiritual or occult matters is always to dismiss it. I am most familiar with how the involement of W. B. Yeats with the Golden Dawn is dismissed by Yeats' scholars because of their own biased judgement that "The poet whom I love and admire so much cannot be an occultist wackdoodle, but must be a materialist reductionist just like me". This bias shows up often on Dao Bums too, the now deceased member, Marblehead, who thought this way about Laozi as author of the Dao De Jing was a perfect example of this attitude. The intellectual history behind these attitudes is quite interesting and I have posted some on Dao Bums about it, but I will not burden this post with more on that now. I have already done my lengthy Dao Bums post of the day. ZYD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted December 9, 2023 On 05/12/2023 at 7:03 AM, SirPalomides said: https://centrostudimetafisici.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/surrealism-esoteric-secrets-200-221.pdf I'm about 2/3 through this fascinating book and I wonder if anyone else has read it. It is, on the one hand, extremely dense and if I didn't have a basic grasp of the history of surrealism and some of the key people, I would be totally lost. (I'd read the Andre Breton anthology What is Surrealism?, including the lengthy introduction, as well as Pierre Mabille's wonderful book on surrealism and myth, Mirror of the Marvelous). As it is, it can still be tricky reading. Overall it charts the surrealists' involvement in a number of esoteric currents, in the service their poetic occultism. I have sometimes seen this involvement characterized as a mere whimsical dabbling but this book makes it clear that it was quite profound. Thanks. I managed to get the pdf ! ( surprisingly ... bad internet signal, 3G and crap computer , but it likes this one ) . Its still loading . I get your point , I always liked and admired Dali, but after reading his bio , it puts a lot into perspective . Then again , when I was able to see an original close up , I was transfixed by the mastery ... for ages .... just that one corner of rippled sea surface in 'Tuna Fishing' . WOW! The first image in the pdf is telling . Is that surreal , or dada ... .... or is it magic symbolism . It must be dada - if you dont get the other stuff . Eventually, times changed and people no longer needed 'movements' ( well, maybe the 'beat movement ' ) to mask their 'spells' , explorations, dissertations . Artworks , film .... even live 'happenings' / 'stunts' . I liked a lot of this guys artwork , the stuff I saw before I cant find now .... he had a habit of burning them . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Everett_Smith#Visual_art Then time went on and some of these societies traditions and off shoots and spin offs focused on just the 'magic'. A while back some new artists emerged and , from the magical tradition , began experimenting in radical forms ; more like, now, it sometimes seems , the magicians where using 'surrealism and dada' in their explorations of western magical systems ; https://fulgur.co.uk/ioevoe-the-transvocatory-media-of-barry-william-hale/?v=6cc98ba2045f Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted December 9, 2023 I found one of harry Smith's ; Tree of Life in the Four Worlds $50.00 – $150.00 Harry Smith created this brilliant and unique interpretation of the Tree of Life in 1954 when he was employed at Inkweed Arts, a greeting card company owned by Lionel Ziprin. 500 copies were printed in the first edition. The Tree of Life was shown at the Whitney Museum exhibit “Beat Culture and the New America 1950-1965″. The 1997 edition is printed from the original collotype plates executed by Jordan Belson. It has now been reprinted in a limited fine art edition of 500 on Arches Cover 7″x 28”. Print 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
