Occult

The first major survey of the occult collection of artworks, letters, objects and ephemera in the Tate Archive and collection. Revealing over 150 esoteric and mystical pieces, some never before seen, this book gives a new understanding to the artists in the Tate collection and the history and practice of the occult. A lavishly illustrated magical volume acts a potent talisman connecting the two worlds of Tate – the seen public collection and the unseen secrets lurking in the archive. The pages of this book explore the hidden artworks and ephemera left behind by artists, and shed new light on our understanding of the art historical canon. It offers an in-depth exploration of the occult and its relationship to art and culture including witchcraft, alchemy, secret societies, folklore and pagan rituals, demonology, spells and magic, psychic energies, astrology and tarot. Expect to find the unexpected in the works and lives of artists such as Ithell Colquhoun, Paul Nash, Barbara Hepworth, Cecil Collins, John William Waterhouse, Alan Davie, Joe Tilson, Henry Moore, Eileen Agar, William Blake, Leonora Carrington and Pamela Colman Smith. For the first time, the clandestine, magical works of the Tate archive are revealed with archivist Victoria Jenkins exploring relationships between art and the occult, and how both can act as a form of resistance to challenging environments. This book challenges perceptions and illuminates the surprising breadth and extraordinary ways in which artists interpret not just the physical world around them but also the supernatural, to make the unseen, seen. If you think you know Tate artists, it’s time to think again.

The first major survey of the occult collection of artworks, letters, objects and ephemera in the Tate Archive and collection. Revealing over 150 esoteric and mystical pieces, some never before seen, this book gives a new understanding to the artists in the Tate collection and the history and practice of the occult. A lavishly illustrated magical volume acts a potent talisman connecting the two worlds of Tate – the seen public collection and the unseen secrets lurking in the archive. The pages of this book explore the hidden artworks and ephemera left behind by artists, and shed new light on our understanding of the art historical canon. It offers an in-depth exploration of the occult and its relationship to art and culture including witchcraft, alchemy, secret societies, folklore and pagan rituals, demonology, spells and magic, psychic energies, astrology and tarot. Expect to find the unexpected in the works and lives of artists such as Ithell Colquhoun, Paul Nash, Barbara Hepworth, Cecil Collins, John William Waterhouse, Alan Davie, Joe Tilson, Henry Moore, Eileen Agar, William Blake, Leonora Carrington and Pamela Colman Smith. For the first time, the clandestine, magical works of the Tate archive are revealed with archivist Victoria Jenkins exploring relationships between art and the occult, and how both can act as a form of resistance to challenging environments. This book challenges perceptions and illuminates the surprising breadth and extraordinary ways in which artists interpret not just the physical world around them but also the supernatural, to make the unseen, seen. If you think you know Tate artists, it’s time to think again.

A clear, concise and detailed historical analysis of the eclectic and arcane visual and material culture of the occult. Focusing on a carefully curated selection of esoteric art and artefacts, this book explains the meaning and mystic power of occult ritual objects and symbols from around the world. The author identifies four key elements of occultism – mysticism, alchemy, magic and divination. Key symbols are identified and examined close up, and key rituals and practices are explained to provide new insights into the philosophies and beliefs of occultists from antiquity to today. Occult begins with an introduction that clarifies what we mean by ‘occult’. It traces the pre-Christian origins of esotericism in Hermeticism, Gnosticism and Neoplatonism, and its development as the occult sciences during the Renaissance to its rebirth in the 19th century with spiritualism, theosophy and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the 20th-century’s anthroposophy, ‘New Age’ and occulture movements. The book is then organized into three sections exploring Occult Foundations, Occult Philosophy and Occult Revival – each one containing three themed chapters. For each of the nine chapters, illustrated narrative text is interspersed with double-page presentations decoding the key practices, figures and symbols relevant to that theme. From rare, ornate tarot decks to the paintings of Leonora Carrington and Ernst Fuchs, artworks and artefacts are examined in detail: the practices depicted are identified and explained and the hidden symbolism decrypted. As the book progresses, readers will not only come to understand the mysterious practices and secret ciphers of the occult but will also discover the beliefs, philosophies and rituals of occultists around the world, from their origins in the early esoteric traditions of the ancient Greeks to their reinterpretation in modern occultism.

A clear, concise and detailed historical analysis of the eclectic and arcane visual and material culture of the occult. Focusing on a carefully curated selection of esoteric art and artefacts, this book explains the meaning and mystic power of occult ritual objects and symbols from around the world. The author identifies four key elements of occultism – mysticism, alchemy, magic and divination. Key symbols are identified and examined close up, and key rituals and practices are explained to provide new insights into the philosophies and beliefs of occultists from antiquity to today. Occult begins with an introduction that clarifies what we mean by ‘occult’. It traces the pre-Christian origins of esotericism in Hermeticism, Gnosticism and Neoplatonism, and its development as the occult sciences during the Renaissance to its rebirth in the 19th century with spiritualism, theosophy and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the 20th-century’s anthroposophy, ‘New Age’ and occulture movements. The book is then organized into three sections exploring Occult Foundations, Occult Philosophy and Occult Revival – each one containing three themed chapters. For each of the nine chapters, illustrated narrative text is interspersed with double-page presentations decoding the key practices, figures and symbols relevant to that theme. From rare, ornate tarot decks to the paintings of Leonora Carrington and Ernst Fuchs, artworks and artefacts are examined in detail: the practices depicted are identified and explained and the hidden symbolism decrypted. As the book progresses, readers will not only come to understand the mysterious practices and secret ciphers of the occult but will also discover the beliefs, philosophies and rituals of occultists around the world, from their origins in the early esoteric traditions of the ancient Greeks to their reinterpretation in modern occultism.