Diccionario de símbolos (Dictionary of Symbols) by Juan Eduardo Cirlot is not a conventional reference work but the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to decoding the hidden language that, according to the author, underlies all cultures, religions, dreams, and works of art.
A Review of Cirlot’s ‘Dictionary of Symbols’: Editions and Legacy Read More »
Juan Eduardo Cirlot Laporta (1916-1973) was a Spanish poet, art critic, musicologist, and theorist of symbolism whose intellectual trajectory represents a unique case in 20th-century Hispanic culture. His life was marked by an unceasing quest for a total system of knowledge through the symbol.
Juan Eduardo Cirlot: The Symbolist of the Avant-Garde Read More »
Le Vulnéraire du Christ: La mystérieuse emblématique des plaies du corps et du coeur de Jésus-Christ (The Vulnerary of Christ: The Mysterious Emblematic of the Wounds in the Body and Heart of Jesus Christ) stands as the final, posthumous work of the French symbologist Louis Charbonneau-Lassay (1871-1946).
Review: Le Vulnéraire du Christ by Louis Charbonneau-Lassay Read More »
Le Bestiaire du Christ: La mystique des animaux, symbolisme et iconographie (The Bestiary of Christ: The Mystique of Animals, Symbolism and Iconography) is the magnum opus of French symbologist Louis Charbonneau-Lassay (1871-1946). Published originally in 1940 by Desclée de Brouwer in Bruges, this monumental work of nearly 1100 pages and over 1100 illustrations represents the culmination of fifty years of research into the symbolic language of the Christian tradition. It stands as one of the most comprehensive and erudite studies of its kind in the twentieth century.
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Charbonneau-Lassay’s labour represents a unique effort to rescue the symbolic heritage of Christianity, offering a key to reading that reconciles faith with the intelligence of symbols, and constituting a fundamental bridge between historical erudition and traditional metaphysics.
Louis Charbonneau-Lassay: Historian, Archaeologist, and Symbolist of the Heart of Christ Read More »
The Guénonian vision of Christian Hermeticism is that of a esotericism that is primordially valid but historically truncated, whose authenticity must be sought not in its modern developments, but in its purest sources and in its concordance with other sacred traditions.
René Guénon: Tradition and Christian Hermeticism Read More »
Alchemy is much more than a historical curiosity. It is a system of wisdom that, through its symbolic language, serves as an indispensable bridge connecting science, art, psychology, and spirituality, offering a profound narrative about the universal human yearning for transformation and fulfillment.
Alchemy: A Master Key for Symbolic and Spiritual Understanding Read More »
The 18th and 19th centuries constituted a period of scientific and popular fascination with the nature of visual perception, laying the technological and conceptual foundations for the invention of cinema. Far from being mere entertainments, so-called “philosophical toys” or “optical toys” were crucial instruments at the intersection of art, science, and spectacle, allowing for the exploration and harnessing of the perceptual principles that make the illusion of movement possible, primarily persistence of vision and the phi phenomenon.
The study and application of optical illusions reveal that perception is an act of construction, not reception. By understanding and manipulating these principles, both the designer and the artist cease to be mere creators of forms and become engineers of visual experience. Their work not only communicates a message or a beauty but also illuminates the fascinating processes by which our consciousness makes sense of the world.
Optical Illusions: Mechanisms of Perception in the Service of Art and Design Read More »
The golden ratio, approximately 1.6180339887…, and often denoted by the Greek letter Phi (Φ), is one of the most fascinating and meaningful mathematical constants in history. Its journey, from ancient civilizations to contemporary culture, reveals a persistent search for harmony and perfect proportion in the universe, art, and architecture.
The Divine Proportion: A History of the Golden Ratio Read More »
