Tuesday, October 5, 2010

A Gothic Art


In october 2007 the Department of Theology of the University of Loyola invited me to speak about the future of Art and Religion . They characterized me as a medieval sculptor. The Gothic Art only existed for two centuries , the twelve century and the thirteen century. . The cathedrals of the twelve century were built by alchemists.The Gothic Art of the twelve century is based on two laws : the first one is that there is a sacred geometry in each cathedral that connects heaven and earth and the second law has been established by the monk Bernard de Clairvaux (1090-1153) spiritual master of the Cistercian order is that Art should have a meaning , it should have an influence on men , that art was made for men to decipher there existence , true art should be at the service of revelation.In 1118 , 9 knights went to Jerusalem to offer free protection to the king of Jerusalem Baldwin the Second.The king hosted them in the Temple of Solomon.In fact they were here for the Arch of the Covenant which is supposed to be burried under the temple , the Archa Cederis. In 1128 when some of the knights came back in France Gothic Cathedrals started being built for 150 years.The return of the knights from Jerusalem coincides with the birth of Gothic Art.What we know about Alchemy is that it can transform metals into other metals may be gold. There is a second meaning to Alchemy is to transform humanity through Art. Cathedrals of the twelve century had this role to psychologically , physiologically operate the transmutation of man through mystical geometry.
The architectural form that defines Gothic as a style is the ogive. But there is more to it than just a style.The alchemy is in the ogive.This form has an effect on man , man sees in the ogive the verticality of his existence it acts on the consciousness and gives a desire to stand and to elevate . Even the stain-glasses from the twelve century, theire color were concieved by a secret formula fabricated by alchemists.The stain glasses from the middle-ages would filter every rays of the sun that are wrong for man to receive the purest light.Needless to say that they where buried with there secrets and there is no stain-glasses after the thirteen century.
The sites of the Cathedrals of the twelve century where found by geomancers who find sacred places. Most of the Cathedrals have been built on Celtic sacred mountains.In these places there is a telluric current that connects heaven and earth through the spine of man and through the pilasters of the Churches.
Some of these cathedrals are constructed geometrically on seven axis , which is three axis added to four axis which is the spirit of truth descending into reality. The incarnation of God in Art.
I always had curiosity for the statues of the twelve century but I am much less overwhelmed by them than by the Churches themselves.Then I thought why don t I create an Art where man himself would have a hidden sacred geometry , where man him-self would become the symbol , where man him-self would become the passage between worlds , where man him-self becomes the cathedral. We don't know if these knights found the Archa Cederis , but the best way to hide something is to put it in the day light , and it might very well be that the Cathedrals are a physical replica of the Archa Cederis with all its powers within.It is said that a man who comes inside a Cathedral of the twelve century when he comes out he his not exactly the same man.
Gothic Art is above everything else entirely directed towards revelation.I remember the night of the opening, in the middle of all these theologians and other beautiful minds my statue was on the terrace that overlooks the city of Los-Angeles and the light on the statue cast a perfect shadow of a cross on the wall of the University.