Considering spirituality in contemporary Spiritualist art

Abstract

ABSTRACT Paintings and drawings of spirits of the deceased have been produced by Spiritualists since 1852. Spiritualism in Britain has seven principles of belief, and the associated art has six classifications. The art is known as Spiritualist or spirit art. Spiritualist principles support the theory that life in the form of a spirit survives death; the fourth principle, ‘Continuous Existence of the Human Soul’, is central to this article and its discussion of how spirituality emerges as art is created. Spirit artists engage in creating basic portraits of the deceased without having known them, through a process of amanuensis from a believed spiritual source. For Spiritualists, the portraits provide visual evidence of life beyond death. This article explores the concept of spirituality in relation to this form of art. It includes discussion of two pieces of artwork and draws on transcripts of interviews with practicing spirit artists, as well as the author’s personal experience of spirit art. It suggests that spirit art is a useful, but neglected, lens through which to explore spirituality.