Opus magnus and the alchimists belief...

Magnum opus (The Witch II) 2009

Charcoal pencils, pastel pencils on paper

154x120 cm

Unique piece

In alchemical great works birds are mostly related to the element of AIR, which is seen as that level above the earth, between the human and the spiritual realm. In the magical and alchemical imaginary the bird becomes therefore a mediator between the physical and the spiritual world. His movement reflects the process that the human soul has to face when evolving to a major state of perfection.

As above, so below, is the alchemical motto. It means that everything must first take place in a superior level before it can happen in a concrete level, which also means that every change - transformation process - must take place in the mind to be afterwards be able to attach reality.

We know that old alchemy was about trasmutating poor materials into gold. Mystical transposition of this process is in fact the spiritual transformation aiming to perfection.

In the old alchemical iconography the different phases of change correspond to animals. Especially birds had specific symbolical meanings: starting from the crow, through the swan and the peacock, to the pelican and the final transformation state, the mytical figure of the phoenix.

The peacock corresponds also to the dragon, another mytical figure - part of the chinese symbology pointing out those time's fascination for the chinese culture - and is related to the beginning of the central transformation phase that ends up with the purification of the soul, control of the negative aspects of the self concluding with most beauty and perfection represented by the colours of the peacock's tail.

The alchemists interpretation is therefore about life's cycle starting from the NIGREDO, the beginning of everything, the lower state of the matter, going through the ALBEDO, to the final sublimation. This all process is called the Magnum opus, the Great Work.

The ring of this cycle is divided in 5 parts shows the five animals: crow, swan, peacock / basilisk -or the mercurial dragon-, pelican and phoenix.

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