Description
Extent: 80pp
Size: 240 x 168mm
Illustrations: 20 colour
Binding: softback, with French flaps
ISBN: 978-1-908326-84-3
Visual Contemplations depicts the journey of the soul ‘from slavery to freedom’, expressing in a simple way the subtle concepts of the early wisdom tradition in a series of original and vivid paintings.
The book is inspired by Gregory of Nyssa’s ‘The Life Of Moses’, in which he uses the familiar story of Moses life as a metaphor of the spiritual journey. These paintings may be seen as representing the third stage in a process: the first being the Biblical text of the narrative, or the‘historia’. The second, St. Gregory’s commentary on the text, or what was called ‘theoria’, a contemplation on the deeper aspects hidden in the narrative. And the third, in which the intention of the artist is to bring to life the inner meaning of the text through painting – one might say a kind of ‘pictoria’ – a visual contemplation.
Lillian Delevoryas is an accomplished artist whose work has been exhibited internationally over the last six decades. Her work has encompassed watercolours, landscapes, tapestry and iconography. Although she is neither a writer nor a theologian, her insight as an artist gives this book a unique and modern dimension to the understanding of ancient truths.
Visual Contemplations is characterised by a surprisingly refreshing quality, making it difficult to categorise. As such, it is the spontaneous response of the artist to the inner sense found in the profound wisdom of an early saint.
- Original visual interpretation of ancient wisdom, expressed through the image of contemporary art
- Unexpected juxtaposition of words and images appealing to a wide and diverse readership
- A spiritual classic seen through the ‘eye of the heart’
- Modern expression of iconography, using vivid imagery to illustrate a spiritual message
