Rosaleen Norton-art

[EarthWard]

Rosaleen Norton


Born 1917 in New Zealand she lived in Australia. Inspired by such as Crowley, Dion Fortune, Eliphas Levi and Papus Norton devised her own system of ceremonial magic. This was informed by a coherent cosmology which was individual but drew upon Jung and the Golden Dawn. She employed sex and drugs in ritual, and the pictures that she produced were overtly occult and depicted sexual abandon. She championed a Bohemian lifestyle and rebelled against the repressed morality of the day.

Between 1937 and 1960 she and her friends endured persection by the Vice Squad which resulted in some pictures being destroyed, swinging fines and sensationalistic press attention. She died in 1973.

see painting here

[Kaya-Nita]

Very interesting, but yet i felt sympathy for her. Her paintings are dark and cold. Although very good, but feelings of darkness that seem to plague her. i could be totaly wrong, it's just how they made me feel. the candle is for her - the hug is for you shareing this with us

[Jeb]

Very cool, EW. Thanks. They do seem a bit dark, I can see why people of that time might have railed against her.

[EarthWard]

Exactly. She pushed the envelope. I do not care for her beliefs or really even her art, but she was daring enough to really push peoples' minds and for that she has my respect.
I think that Awen is a mixture of both light and dark. Either way it is still Awen. So personally I don't think she needs sympathy as much as we need to have sympathy for the darker half of our own essence.

[Loosh]

Demonic--heavy astral influence--not my taste! But chilling!

[Sophia Zoe]

Good point, Earthward,
Creativity needs to be able to look into the dark or it becomes superficial. And there is a difference between acknowledging the dark and surrendering to it, or worse, exploiting it.

SZ

[Piastra]

actually, i loved every piece, but then i embrace my own dark side. i especially loved the swamp, and the cat. i would love to own them both.

thanx, EW for sharing this...

carragh

[EarthWard]

You're welcome carrage. And if I win the Big Game lotto this week they both will be yours.
$$$,$$$,$$$
Come on big money!

[Wolfwalker]

EW, I am with youon this one big time... where do we see the shadows in life if it isn't when light crosses darkness. Just because her inner darkness found expression in her art is no reason to condemn it... it's not my thing but then I do like Munch's "Scream", Dali, Picasso and many post-modernist and impressionists too, so hey there's no accounting for taste is there? With her life resume I can see how she was as persecuted by the authorities as she was...
peace and BB, Peter