Last month saw the republication of the seminal work on occultism and art, Thought Forms: A Record of Clairvoyant Investigation by Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater, who helmed the Theosophical Society after Madame Blavatsky celebrated her Greater Feast. Some art historians credit the concepts outlined in this book as having a significant impact on the emergence of Abstract Art and indeed Kandinsky acknowledged his debt to their theories and wrote his own book Concerning the Spiritual in Art. The posted description sez:
“First released in 1901, Thought-Forms was an in-depth exploration on the visual manifestations of thoughts and the notion that they exist as objects. Conceived by renowned theosophists Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater, the book consists of 58 illustrations based on Besant and Leadbeater’s clairvoyant observations on how music, emotions, experiences, and colors affect thought forms. Expanding beyond its original readership, the book would have great influence on twentieth-century art and go on to inspire many artists including Wassily Kandinsky, Hilma af Klint, Piet Mondrian, and Paul Klee. This updated edition features a new introduction by famed occult author, Mitch Horowitz.”
https://www.amazon.com/Thought-Forms-Record-Clairvoyant-Investigation/dp/0999609998.
thanks to Soror Amy for the tip!
