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Promethean Flames – Philip Rubinov Jacobson

Philip Jacobson has released his second and long awaited book, “Promethean Flames”. His book approaches art and spirituality with theoretical and impassioned reflections on the highest calling of the visual arts.

It delineates the boundaries and bridges between the creative process and illumination by exploring, expounding and integrating the fields of art, creativity, psychology, religion and philosophy.

It also surveys the situation between the contemporary art world and the modern creative mystic, between the artist and the responder, the states and stages of illumined artistic vision and the very path of art as a tool for the transformation of consciousness.

“It is a great pleasure to be friends with Philip. He is a great Artist, Writer and a man of action. Philip has dedicated a massive amount of energy into a movement that is very close to my heart. The global Fantastic & Visionary Art movement would be more than a man short without Philip’s energy. Phil has published books on our movement, featuring many great artists, he’s produced an impressive body of work and he has exposed people to the magic of Visionary art with his personable, hands-on seminars. It is my pleasure to Recommend this passionate man to the art world (and the world at large).” Jon Beinart, Director & Editor, beinArt Publishing

“Promethean Flames” can be purchased from Philip’s MySpace page.

Max Ernst (1891 – 1976), Le triomphe de l’amour / fausse allégorie (Der Triumph der Liebe / falsche Allegorie), 1937, Oil on canvas, 54.5 x 73.5 cm

Today Anja Brinkmann and I travelled to Charlottenburg in the west of Berlin to see the “Surreal Worlds”, Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection. The collection is a great surprise and contains many well known names in Surrealism.

Otto Gerstenberg, the founding president of the German Victoria insurance company, assembled a fabulous art collection in Berlin. During the second world war, the collection was stored in a bunker. Much of the collection was destroyed or seized by the Russian Army during the battle for Berlin in 1945.

What remained of the collection was passed to his daughter Margarethe Scharf and, after her death, to her two sons, Walther and Dieter, where it became a starting point for their own art collections. Dieter upgraded the inheirited collection with exquisite examples of surrealistic art by Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí and Rene Magritte, and with works by Odilon Redon, Paul Klee and Jean Dubuffet.

The Scharf-Gerstenberg show encompasses 300 works of “Surrealism and its predecessors,” and has created excitement with its spectacular examples of dark architectural prison scenes by Italian engraver Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

There is also a selection of surrealist films on show, such classics of Surrealist cinema as ‘Un Chien Andalou’ by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí will be shown alongside selected films by contemporary artists.

The “Surreal Worlds” exhibition is not permanent, but is on a ten-year-loan, with conditions attached.  One such condition is that that the artwork does not disappear into depots but remains on display on a permanent basis to the public

The exhibition sports some fine examples of Max Ernst’s decalcomania technique and quite a few Dalí sketches. I found the works of Hans Bellmer exquisite.

The collection is well worth a visit and makes a great change from the dominance of modern contemporary artwork that prevails in Berlin.

Contact
Sammlung Scharf-Gerstenberg
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Schloßstraße 70
14059 Berlin
Phone: +49(0)30 – 3435-7315
Fax: +49(0)30 – 3435-7312
www.smb.museum/ssg

Opening Hours
Tues – Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Tickets
11 July 2008: free entrance
from 12 July 2008: 8 Euro, discounted admission 4 Euro

Madeline Von Foerster in her studio with her painting “Amazon Cabinet” in the background.

On one of my customary Sunday afternoon meanderings through Friedrichshain to the Boxhagner Markt, I dropped by Strychnin Gallery. I had missed Art Fair 21 and was interested to hear how Strychnin went. As a side note, Strycnin’s director, Yasha Young, is now on the selection commity for the Art Fair 21.

The most entertaining story was how one of Madeline Von Foerster’s artworks, “Amazon Cabinet” was held by customs in Frankfurt Germany, because they thought that it was an Old Master’s artwork and not painted by a living 35 year old American artist. While in hindsight this is a great compliment to Madeline, the clock was ticking and the painting was due to hang at the art fair.

The situation proved farcical as they demanded a huge import duty to release the painting. Customs had unwrapped the top half of the artwork, but not the complete thing, which if they had done so, they would have perhaps noticed the chainsaw in the bottom right hand corner of the painting. After many phone calls it was finally proven that artwork was indeed a modern work by Madeline. Her painting finally made it to the art fair, hung on the opening night and duly sold.

Congratulations of Madeline on all counts.

Madeline has an up coming show at Strychnin’s Berlin Gallery on Friday 7th. More details can be found the the Strychnin Gallery website.

Zuvaya Studios – Leo Plaw (me), Emma Watkinson, Daniel Mirante and Basha

After Luminopolis I travelled to Lewes to visit the Zuvaya Studios. Here I saw again Emma Watkinson who was at Luminopolis with myself and Luke Brown. Also sharing the space at Zuvaya Studios was Daniel Mirante who I last saw when we all gathered at Brigid Marlin’s house.

Zuvaya Studios is a project that Daniel Mirante co-initiated as a collaborative studio and exhibition space in a derelict industrial quater of Lewes, UK. The project aims to support the unfolding of talent in established and emerging visionary artists and to strengthen the visionary art current within the UK. Guest artists have included Luke Brown and Jarah Tree.

As all old industrial spaces used by artists, they need a lot of enthusiasm and creative energy to bring them into some sort of order. There is certainly no lacking of these required qualities amoungst the Zuvaya Studio community. Looking at their space made me think of the warehouse I had at Pixely St in London, and I reflected how fortunate they all are to have each other to assist making their space welcoming.

They found some creative solutions for some of the building’s defects, such as indoor gardens under the leaking roof. In a dryer, more comfortable section of the warehouse they have hosted a number of events and are planning many more for the future.

Daniel Mirante and Basha at their easels.

It was a pleasure to finally see Daniel’s artwork first hand, and I was impressed by what I saw. He has been passing on the knowledge he gained from Brigid Marlin to a number of other artists in the studios. His partner Basha has taken to the technique very well and is also very accomplished.

I also had the chance to see Daniel’s version of Sophia. We have both been painting Sophia, the gnostic aspect of God that represents wisdom, and have kept each other updated as to the progress of our individual paintings.

It was wonderful to see everyone and visit their creative space, but time was running and had to eventually leave and make my way back to London, as I was flying out the next day to return to Berlin.