EYES TO SEE

Exploring art as a catalyst for spiritual awakening.

Art historian Lipsey explores how art “can nourish a sense of direction and a growing soul” by serving as “guide, inspiration, solace, companion.” The author advances his argument through a close reading of artworks from across traditions and time periods, highlighting their visceral impact on him. The volume follows a chronological structure, beginning with artworks from ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations, moving on to art from younger religions, such as Christianity and Islam. He writes about how the elegance of a 2700-2500 B.C.E. storage vessel from the Cycladic islands in the Aegean Sea evoked an “awed respect for the minds and hands that could conceive and make such a thing.” A zebra by the Mughal-era artist Ustad Mansur in Emperor Jahangir’s court (1605-1627) inspired an appreciation of “not just the form but the life of a magnificent creature” and the artist’s “tenderness for life.” Via accessible prose, Lipsey suggests readers observe the ways their bodies respond to art and allow themselves to feel the emotions the works elicit. His approach is influenced by art historian Ananda K. Coomaraswamy’s view of art as “a reminder and a support of contemplation,” philosopher G.I. Gurdjieff’s theory of objective and subjective art, and others. The book makes a case for the “knowledge of the heart.” It’s atypical for scholars to speak of love as an approach to their field of study, but the author rejects such constraints to better pursue a fresh, affecting perspective: “May we all find, and find again, our secret eyes.”

A refreshing, well-considered take on art.