SACRED GEOMETRY Part 1
“Angelic Visitation of a Folk Memory” By Kathleen Gray
Paintings come to me, like messengers, in dreams, synchronicities, and myths. I like to base the compositional structure underneath many of my paintings on sacred geometry. There is a sense of order and rightness that allows the conceptual composition to make an ancient call out to the individual who resonates with it. In “Angelic Visitation of a Folk Memory” sacred geometry was intentionally used to instill a sense of motherhood and heavenly call.
The adorned woman is called The Dama de Elche. There is much dispute over her origins. She is thought to be an Iberian funerary statue, or the Goddess of Carthage known as Tania, or an Atlantean goddess, or simply a lady of high birth. She was discovered in the late 1800’s by a farmer plowing up a field in Elche, Spain. The statue is now in the Madrid Archaeological Museum. For me she is mystery herself, embodied in this ancient statue from the 4th century BC.
Something about this statue resurrected a feeling of ancient connectedness within me. The large round coils on the side on her headdress are known as rodetes. Some believe it to be the jewelry of a priestess while others believe because of her elongated head that the rodetes are an Atlantean transmitter, exemplifying the advanced civilization.
I think I visited the Madrid Archaeological Museum three of four times taking photos, walking around the statue, making quick sketches. As a result of my preoccupation with The Dama I have done a series of paintings of her. Each painting is interpreting her with variations on her ancient theme of motherhood. It gave me comfort to know that this statue from an ancient civilization was speaking to me.
I borrowed the angelic being from Fra Angelico’s Annunciation which also “spoke” to me and I adapted it to my style of painting. The youth on the right is the eternal soul, inspired by my daughter.
Two geometric elements govern this piece, the square and the triangle. The square represents the mother principle and is contained by the pillars, the floor which separates the water buffalo underneath and the base of the triangle shaped roof top above.
The square is stable with its four corners. It is secure and grounded like mother earth. The square is such an unconscious part of our knowledge. The square is associated with equality, reliability, fairness, firmness and solidity as described in Michael Schneider’s book on sacred geometry, “ A Beginner’s Guide To Constructing the Universe.” He says it can be seen in such sayings as, “a square deal”, being fair and square”, eating a square meal”, “facing problems squarely”.
Triangles are indicative of the divine. Schneider goes on to speak of the triangle as “a visually arresting shape and power symbol calling for us to be alert.” It is made up of three sides, each supporting one another and pointing heavenward. “The triangle is the world’s preeminent symbol of divinity. As the symbol of holy trinities, it reaches into nearly every religious tradition.”, says Schneider.
The scarab is a symbol of the soul’s eternal life within us all, as renewal and rebirth. Egyptian art often used sacred geometry to convey elevated ideals for living and dying.
Below, almost hidden at the base of the painting, the water buffalo in the dark night once more sends out a summons to the divine in motherhood. The dark night with water buffalo is tucked underneath the main structure of the painting suggesting an unconscious thought or desire. In India the water buffalo is sacred, representing the divine mother principle in Hindu mythology.
In Renaissance times many artists used sacred geometry to create their compositions. After taking a class with Michael Schneider on sacred geometry in art, I discovered, through his slides, the innumerable examples of sacred geometry. In his audio visual presentation he carefully overlaid sacred geometry transparencies on the compositions revealing the hidden structure.
Sacred geometry is our connection to the divine in the universe. Sacred geometry allows me to see the continuity in nature and all life. There are countless examples of sacred geometry in nature. The apple has within its cross section the star shape. The pine cone is a stunning articulation of the Fibonacci spiral. The butterfly is structurally shaped by the triangle. Leaves appear to be stretched or compressed pentagons. With the help of sacred geometry I am able to propel an inspirational painting idea to a place that resonates at a higher frequency, an ancient call to humanity.