Is Art Magic?

[Coll MacSaille]

Alan Moore once said that the closest thing to magicians, true magic practitioners in the modern world are artist and storytellers for they carry on the tradition of the bards. A good spell may or may not curse your crops for a season, but a good satire could curse you for generations.

What say you of this?

[Gorm Sionnach]

From the Celtic perspective satire was one of the most powerful methods of speech, and a good satire could cripple kings.

[Lady Anastasia]

Oh, I do think this topic has lots of potential... I can't wait to see more responses.

[tealasilverre]

Well, This is typically a conundrum. But speaking as one who feels she is an artist, I know when making my jewelry pieces, many times I wind up blooding the piece - as well as imbueing natural energy. So my question is this... Does this count?

[Poisoned Spoon]

I think that art is inherrently sacred. I wouldn't call it magical but I could see how the term could be applied from a different mindset and still be accurate. I used to keep a blog called "Puppet of the Muses" because I have so often felt like my life isn't really my own. I'm a dancer, a musician, a figure sketch artist, a painter, a writer and an author. The spiritual partons of the arts have been more than generous in distributing raw talent in my direction. I have so much inspiration flowing through me at all times that it can be paralyzing. I try to focus on what I can do and sometimes I feel like a many armed Goddess at my desks (I have two work desks). My walls are covered in sketches, designs, media, notes, and even pages from some of my manuscripts. I keep music on at all times. I almost never choreograph a performance because I feel almost violently passionate about my freedom and availability to inspiration. I like to leave the door open to possibility.

I felt so fiercy thankful for my artistic gifts and inspirations that I fasted for a year and gave up wearing anything but white for a full year. I didn't use foul language, I made sure I was always a vision of perfection when I left my house. I did this as an ex voto for one of the Patron Deities of my family (Gens Aenea Apollonia). When I had to take a Roman name the name I chose was Iulia Aenea Apollonia Musa. The first name is the proper name, its my birth name. The second name is the name of my family (Aenea Apollonia). And the third name is a nick name, Musa... meaning muse-like or gifted by the muses. Apollo is the patron of the arts, father figure of all artists. Apollo is the musician while his sister Artemi is the dancer. It just happened to work out that my family is very strongly connected to Apollo. My full name means Julia, nineth daughter of Apollo, the Muse.

So yeah... I do think that there is an unseen power in the arts.

~*Spoon*~

[Khaos Faerie]

Storytellers can weave spells through their words, as I feel artists can weave magic through their painting, drawings, sculptures, etc. I have created some of the most beautiful artwork that has become my most beautiful artwork has been my strongest of magic.

[Scarlett Dragonfire]

You know, that's an interesting point. I've always felt that any and all talents are magickal. I feel lucky to be a musician and I know that my spirit and my soul soar with magick when I sing...
It's just how I feel of course, but abilities are given to us from somewhere I think. And I think everyone if given the chance can draw on their inner magick to follow their hearts.
I hope that makes sense, I guess it's kind of hard to explain.
Thanks and blessings

[Lady Anastasia]

This topic/quote just makes me think of William Shakespeare.... I agree with the quote 110%

[Anastasia Fitzgerald]

Hey, Coll, we've been here before, have we not? :-)) I think my reply went something like this;

Yes, art is a form of magic, with varying degrees of power, insofar as magic is about transformations and the power of transformation. How else could one explain the impact of the medium over the centuries? From the earliest cave paintings up to the multi-media of today art has always attempted to control the world, control the way in which we perceive the world and our place in it. I can be enraptured by the paintings of Michelangelo and Giorgio de Chirico, just as I can by the music of Stravinsky or the Doors. There is, perhaps, no greater form of magic, one which seduces and compels.

Now I would like to show you one of my favourite paintings. It's called The Fairy Raid: Carrying of a Changling-Midsummer Eve. Art does not get any more magical than this. :-)

[ShaamAnsu]

Creativeness...is a magick all it's own. You create from your soul...so you are in your creation. You create it to express what you want....that could be considered intent...you want other people to enjoy it as much as you do...to "see" your creation.

Any creative expression resonates with your energy....allowing the person to 'feel' it the way you intended.

[Moonsmith]

Ok, so here's my take on it:

I think Art & Magic are related, though not necessarily the exact same thing. They are mirrors/harmonics of each other in totally original ways...

You can't really have one without the other...

They are the thing and the whole of the thing...

It is an example of lemniscate energy. Both take that which is psychic and facilitate a physical manifestation of it. The purposes and the processes vary, but the overall flow is similar. They are a perpetual kind of energy because they both inspire many times and thus the lemniscate continues it's flow...

se bon', nes pa?

[BlueRaven]

My Grandmother always tells us stories about the old days during Thanksgiving celebration. She always rivets us with something new or weird every year. lol! She can be a creepy old thing when she wants to be. I love her bunches, but when she gets on a roll, it's epic! I would consider her stories magic, definitely!

[Foxxy]

While most pagans and most Christians rarely agree on anything, both readily accept that "artistic" talents are a gift. if its a gift, it must have a donor,. Since 'artistry' may but often does not follow bloodlines, that leaves only one 'set' of donor's I can think of- collectively referred to as Deity. Is not what our Deities give us inherently magical? Here, just one short step away the schism is already apparent, for what we'd think of as magical, the Christians tend to see as 'miraculous.'

Given that there are (at least) 2 accepted ways to reach an ecstatic trance state, passively as in traditional meditation, and active as in dance, both of which put us in a 'magical' mind set, why would we not consider artistic endeavor one of the many ways to reach that mind set where magic happens? Is not ritual, by its 'ritualized' nature intended to put us in a magical mind set? IF you look at Ritual as a quieter form of active meditation, it is no long step to expand that to cover music, art, dance, etc. regardless if that art is beadwork, crocheting, sculpting, woodworking, smithing, sewing, or cooking. Any of these, as well as the many I didn't list, have the potential to be magical whether the finished product is intentionally magical or not. To my mind it is largely perspective - does the application of the deific gift/ talent potentially put us in touch with our deity? In my case sewing, and almost any other form of hand work, does. It is the nearest I get to meditation.

Foxxy.