This last month has seen a sea change in our national political climate. It appears the “turning” I mentioned in my last SOM could start bringing a new generation to power soon! With this hope in mind, I’m drawn to discuss a piece I created over 16 years ago.
This sculpture was named at the Escondido Art Museum in 2007 during a four-artist show called “The Poetics of Myth.” With a fairly large audience present, we arrived at the name Aufklärung.
Aufklaerung
The German term “Aufklärung” is often translated as “Enlightenment” and associated with the Renaissance transformation of the 1800s that asserted the value of human reasoning over religious tenants. This became a basis, not only for a deeper understanding of the world through science, but also, for seeing all people as having an equal right to self-determination.
The central image in this sculpture wears the robes and symbolic hat of a leader. He rises from a pool of the unconscious and stretches his arms out to both serve as a bridge and mark the line between above and below. The bridge he offers leads from the unconscious on the left, represented by dark flowers rooted in water, to a beautiful state of compassion and empathy for others, as represented by bright flowers grounded in a higher consciousness to the right.
Aufklärung ideas led to the revolutionary overthrow of sovereigns and governments dictated by the church (for example, the American and French Revolutions). This resulted in more democratic forms of government, as well as the recognition that all humans have an equal right to self-determination.
At the same time, in personal and religious contexts, “Enlightenment” refers to a spiritual awakening that frees us from suffering and connects us with others, the world, and God. This sparks our natural empathy and compassion for others.
Various spiritual and creative practices can develop our awakened consciousness. In the same manner, practicing the scientific method can be of profound benefit to humanity. However, the 18th century philosophers who placed reasoning at the center of human evolution did not imagine that a scientific approach to the world would need to be counterbalanced by the intuitive practices of spiritual insight.
We find ourselves facing this challenge right now.
The great flights of technological creativity we see today may not allow us to survive on our planet. Until we learn to cultivate spiritual awakening alongside scientific discovery, we will be unable to develop the compassion and altruism needed to curtail the self-righteousness, greed, and blindness that are the products of reason without heart.
So, dear supporters, let’s develop our souls through art and spiritual practice. This is what my sculpture is all about. I’m so grateful you’re a part of this work.
