VISIONARY ART, Illuminating Worlds of Greater possibilities and realities by Lynette Gordon

Dazzling light across night skies… iridescent landscapes…winged messengers from celestial worlds… all part of the growing stream of art known as Visionary art.

To dispel a popular myth, Visionary art did not grow out of the psychedelic 60s and 70s. Its roots lie deep in Surrealism, a style of art embraced by renowned masters such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci who brought their inspired visions from worlds beyond into physical reality.

For over 40 years abstract art largely dominated our public and professional art worlds, art mostly designed to project into the viewer’s consciousness rather than open a world for the viewer to enter. Visionary art in contrast offers a window into the artist’s vision to inspire the highest ideals of humanity. It sees the positive viewpoint over all others. It celebrates love over fear. With all the changes in our world today, individual and global, Visionary art with its uplifting colours and imagery brings light to an often dark perspective.

Today Visionary art and its creators span the globe holding a respected place in the professional art world and becoming increasingly popular with people of all ages. The artists who bring forth these inspired visions recognise the true healing and uplifting power of their gifts. Many approach their craft as sacred through meditation, dream work, music and prayer, consciously choosing to bypass the chatter of the reasoning mind and tap into the reservoir of timeless truth within.

Such artists include Gilbert Williams whose world-acclaimed body of work includes designing album covers for the Jacksons and Crosby, Stills and Nash, art director Michael Pangrazio whose films include E.T. and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Australia’s Julia Carter whose work has been invited and exhibited in major galleries around the world including the Carrousel du Louvre, Paris.

Well-known art historian and author, the late Jose Arguelles who founded Planet Art and was an originator of Earth Day, believed art has a major role to play in bringing peace to humanity. He said “The great cathedrals of the Middle ages were collaborative efforts. Architects, stone masons, glass workers, sculptors and painters contributed their specialised skills to these great, transcendent projects. Within them prayer, music, light and ritual combined for a total aesthetic and spiritual experience.”

Arguelles believed that Visionary art utilising today’s exciting technology with a vision of personal and global harmony will create collaborative art forms even more transcendent. He believed Visionary art has a major role to play to awaken people from a cultural sleep and remind us of our powerful connection with the Source of all creation, each other and our planetary home.

To Arguelles, Visionary art is carried by people whose work reflects universal principles of loving, wise and bountiful living. He believed that everything in our history has prepared us for this time.

Like Arguelles and countless others, I share the view that from our Visionary artists, poets and writers we learn to cultivate a sense of wonderment, appreciation and awareness, prerequisites for personal and global enrichment. As we do, the world will become for all a work of art.

Lynette Gordon is a journalist, Spiritual teacher and mentor @Lynettegordon.com.

Picture of painting “Transformation” by Julia Carter.

“When I paint I believe the passion and joy I feel for life flows

through me into my work and radiates outward to the viewer

making a positive connection where it is needed.”  

Juliacarterartist.com