Notes onNotes Abstraction on Abstraction/ Detroit/ Detroit/ Rick Vian/ Rick Vian The soulThe is soulcreated is created in a place in a between place between Time and Time Eternity: and Eternity: with its with highest its highest powerspowers it touches it touches Eternity, Eternity, with its with lower its Time.lower Time. MeisterMeister Eckhart Eckhart [As] we[As] enter we a enternew century,a new century, abstract abstract painting painting is respectable is respectable again. [Abstractagain. [Abstract art has]art re -has]emerged re-emerged as a subject as a subject of serious of serious critical critical discussion. discussion. Roald Nasgaard,Roald Nasgaard, Pleasure Pleasure of Sight of and Sight States and ofStates Being: of Being:Radical Radical Abstract Abstract Painting Painting since 1990since.1 1990.1 1. From1. theFrom moment the moment I arrived I arrived in Detroit in Detroit some ten some years ten ago years to teachago to Critical teach Critical Theory Theory and and CriticalCritical Studies Studies at the Collegeat the College for Creative for Creative Studies, Studies, I have Ibeen have driven been drivenaround around – I – I have neverhave learned never learned to drive to – driveand all – andmanner all manner of things of havethings been have pointed been pointed out to meout byto me by long-timelong Detroiters,-time Detroiters, and many and people many peoplehave shown have shownme things me inthings weeks in andweeks months and months of of which whichit might it mightotherwise otherwise have takenhave onetaken years one toyears uncover, to uncover, or at least,or at graspleast, thegrasp the significance.significance. There is,There though, is, though, a little aunassuming little unassuming and “contemporary” and “contemporary” building, building, a a buildingbuilding utterly utwithoutterly without architectural architectural distinction distinction, which, whichsits, snug sits, like snug a likelittle ashop little shop front infront the camouflagein the camouflage of suburban of suburban shop fronts shop, frontsat 27745, at 27745Woodward Woodward Avenue Avenue on the on the west sidewest of sideWoodward of Woodward in Royal in Oak:Royal the Oak: Theosophical the Theosophical Society Society in Detroit. in Detroit. (As with (As with so manyso things, many things,such as such the Frenchas the French School Schoolof Detroit of Detroitwhich iswhich in Birmingham, is in Birmingham, no one no one outsideoutside Michigan Michigan will have will heard have ofheard Royal of Oak,Royal so Oak, Detroit so Detroitbecomesbecomes the marker the marker, or , or better, better,the container the container of recognition of recognition.) Its website.) Its website has the has following the following statement statement from the from the great medievalgreat medieval (German) (Ger Christianman) Christian mystic mysticMeister Meister Eckhart Eckhart (1260 –(12601328) – –1328)admired – admired by the greatby the Romantics great Romantics and later and Heidegger later Heidegger - “The -soul“The is soulcreated is created in a place in a between place between Time andTime Eternity: and Eternity: with its with highest its highest powers powers it touches it touches Eternity, Eternity, with its with lower its Time.”lower Time.” I I have yethave to yetmeet to anmeetyone an whoyone attends who attends this Church this Church of Theosophy of Theosophy or who or has who even has even noticednoticed its existence its existence on Woodward on Woodward Avenue. Avenue. From timeFrom to time time to I timemention I mention it in my it in my 1 Roald Nasgaard,1 Roald Nasgaard, Pleasures Pleasures of Sight ofand Sight States and of States Being: of Radical Being: RadicalAbstract Abstract Painting Painting Since 1990 Since(Tallahassee: 1990 (Tallahassee: Florida StateFlorida University State University Museum Museum of Fine Arts,of Fine 2001), Arts, 7. 2001), 7. classes at CCS to blank stares – and no, I would not expect a single student to have ever heard of Madame Blavatsky or the theosophical movement so popular at the end of the nineteenth century and which for a while looked as though it might become the spirituality of a certain educated middle-class both here in the USA – or at least in major classescities likeat CCS Chicago, to blank Boston, stares an– dand New no, YorkI would - and not inexpect London a single and Parisstudent and to have elsewhereever inheard Europe. of Madame2 Blavatsky or the theosophical movement so popular at the end of the nineteenth century and which for a while looked as though it might become the Paul Sspiritualityérusier, The of Talisman a certain, 1888,educated oil on middle wood.-class Paris: both Mus hereée d’Orsay in the USA – or at least in major cities like Chicago, Boston, and New York - and in London and Paris and Rick Vian,elsewhere Reflection in Europe. VII, 2014,2 oil on canvas. 2. For eachPaul of S theérusier, great The painters Talisman at the, 1888, origin oil of on a wood.systematic Paris: working Musée d’Orsayout of an account of abstract painting - Kandinsky, Kupka, Mondrian, Malevitch - there is a direct and easily Rickdemonstrable Vian, Reflection lineage VII coming, 2014, fromoil on thecanvas. great Symbolist painters, especially Gauguin and his followers in the Nabis (Vuillard, Bonnard, Sérusier, Ranson, with classesÉmile2. For Bernardat eachCCS oftooccupying theblank great stares paintersa special – and at no, positionthe I originwould apart) of not a ;systematic expectthere ais single also,working studentlike out the ofto Nabis anhave account ever(Prophets), heardof abstract ofa demonstrableMadame painting Blavatsky - Kandinsky,fact about or the these Kupka, theosophical abstract Mondrian, painters movement Malevitch that so sometimes popular - there at hasis the a been directend and ofheld the to easilynineteenth be central demonstrable century to the and verylineage which existence coming for a whileand from emergence looked the great as thoughof Symbolistabstraction it might painters, proper becomely especially theso- spiritualitycalledGauguin – which of aisand certain to hissay, followers educatedan explicitly middlein thetheoretical -Nabisclass both(Vuillard, account here of inBonnard, a the new USA mode S é–rusier, ofor paintingat Ranson,least in with majorthe Western Écitiesmile frameBernardlike Chicago, – but occupying which Boston, is oftena specialan d(and New positionnow York increasingly) -apart)and ;in there Londonoccluded, is also,and namely, Parislike thethatand Nabis elsewhereall the(Prophets), major in Europe.artists a demonstrable at2 the source factof abstraction about these were abstract deeply painters and affective that sometimesly engaged has been with someheld aspectto be centralof theosophy to the asvery a spiritual existence activity and emergenceand a motivation of abstraction for their pursuitproperly so- Paulof abstraction. Scalledérusier, – whichThe In Talismanmore is to technicallysay,, 1888, an explicitly oil philosophical on wood. theoretical Paris: – butaccountMus stillée d’Orsay ofaccessible a new mode – terms of painting, it in might thebe Westernsaid that frametheosophy – but was which part is ofoften the (anddescription now increasingly) under which occluded, they acted namely, and that Rickso in Vian,allsome the Reflectionsense majorcausally artists VII, at2014,related the oilsource to on their canvas. of abstractionpractice. (Of were course, deeply it isand the affective adverbially engagedin some withsense somethat aspect makes of lifetheosophy anything as abut spiritual straightforward activity andsince a motivation nothing for is theirmore pursuit 2. Fortroubling eachof abstraction.ofthan the to great invoke paintersIn morecausation attechnically the in origin what, philosophicalofcorrectly, a systematic is fundamentally – workingbut still out accessible aof her anmeneutic account – terms , it ofquestion abstractmight.) painting be said -thatKandinsky, theosophy Kupka, was part Mondrian, of the description Malevitch -underthere which is a direct they actedand and easily sodemonstrable in some sense lineagecausally coming related from to theirthe greatpractice. Symbolist (Of course, painters, it is theespecially adverbial in Gauguinsome and sense his followersthat makes in thelife Nabis anything (Vuillard, but straightforward Bonnard, Sérusier,since Ranson, nothingwith is more 2 Madame Blavatsky’s Isis Unveiled: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology (1877) was theÉ milechef d’œuvre troublingBernardof theosophy.thanoccupying to invoke In Francea specialcausation the great position promoterin what, apart) of correctly, theosophy; there is– theisfundamentally also,person likemost readthe a herbyNabis meneutic artists – was Edouard Schuré, especially his Les Grand initiés (1889). (Prophets),question a demonstrable.) fact about these abstract painters that sometimes has been held to be central to the very existence and emergence of abstraction properly so- called – which is to say, an explicitly theoretical account of a new mode of painting in 2 Madame Blavatsky’s Isis Unveiled: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology (1877)the was Western the chef d’œuvre frame of– buttheosophy. which In is France often the(and great now promoter increasingly) of theosophy occluded, – the person namely, most read that by artists all– was the Edouard major Schurartistsé, especialat the lysource his Les of Grand abstraction initiés (1889). were deeply and affectively engaged with some aspect of