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The Art of the Occult: A Visual Sourcebook for the Modern Mystic (Volume 1) Hardcover – October 13, 2020

by S. Elizabeth (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 456 ratings
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A visual feast of eclectic artwork informed and inspired by spiritual beliefs, magical techniques, mythology and otherworldly experiences.

Mystical beliefs and practices have existed for millennia, but why do we still chase the esoteric? From the beginning of human creativity itself, image-makers have been drawn to these unknown spheres and have created curious artworks that transcend time and place – but what is it that attracts artists to these magical realms?

From theosophy and kabbalah, to the zodiac and alchemy; spiritualism and ceremonial magic, to the elements and sacred geometry – The Art of the Occult introduces major occult themes and showcases the artists who have been influenced and led by them. Discover the symbolic and mythical images of the Pre-Raphaelites; the automatic drawing of Hilma af Klint and Madge Gill; Leonora Carrington's surrealist interpretation of myth, alchemy and kabbalah; and much more.

Featuring prominent, marginalised and little-known artists, The Art of the Occult crosses mystical spheres in a bid to inspire and delight. Divided into thematic chapters (The Cosmos, Higher Beings, Practitioners), the book acts as an entertaining introduction to the art of mysticism – with essays examining each practice and over 175 artworks to discover.

The art of the occult has always existed in the margins but inspired the masses, and this book will spark curiosity in all fans of magic, mysticism and the mysterious.
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  1. Part of series
    Art in the Margins
  2. Print length
    240 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Frances Lincoln
  5. Publication date
    October 13, 2020
  6. Dimensions
    7 x 1 x 9.13 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0711248834
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0711248830
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

THE COSMOS

Under The Rose Susan Jamison, 2017, egg tempera on panel.

The Astrologer Damian Chavez, undated, oil on linen.

The Chemical Wedding Robert Ellaby, undated.

Under The Rose Susan Jamison, 2017, egg tempera on panel.

Susan Jamison’s feminine iconography spans several media – including painting, drawing, textile based sculpture and installation – all steeped in ritualistic and mythological associations. Her Rocks and Threads series pairs classical shapes and symbols associated with sacred geometry, alongside natural elements, intertwining both the ephemeral and the eternal.

The Astrologer Damian Chavez, undated, oil on linen.

Damian Chavez (b.1976) is an artist and instructor from Los Angeles who studied in Florence, Prague and Paris before he attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the ArtCenter College of Design, CA. His signature style consists of allegorical portraits incorporating a strong emphasis on ornament and richly intricate background textures.

The Chemical Wedding Robert Ellaby, undated.

British Surrealist artist, Robert Ellaby (b.1964), is much influenced by kabbalah, alchemy and other esoteric systems of ideas. He has been a student of the Western Mystery Tradition for over thirty years. His passion for kabbalistic and alchemical concepts are at the heart of his studies, informing and inspiring such paintings as The Chemical Wedding.

HIGHER BEINGS

MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF religious iconography and museums spanning the globe full of human art and artifacts glorifying the gods, would imply that we are eternally awestruck, terrified and, well, maybe just a bit concerned with our relationship to a higher power.

Looking to the past, we can see countless depictions of how ancient cultures imagined their gods and goddesses in different ways, reflecting their own needs and environments, hopes and threats, beliefs and traditions at various points in the timeline of human history. As these works evolved and became more sophisticated in their execution, we can follow the growth and change in artists’ perceptions and understandings of the holy in their sublime portrayals of gods and goddesses – from their superhuman engagement in the heroic world of epic, to their complex religious function in culture and society, as well as their transformation from divine corporeality into metaphors in aesthetic and philosophical thought painted on canvas, illustrated in manuscripts or carved in stone.

As we study these classic works in an effort to examine the relationship of the gods to human perception and imagination, we can also take a moment to observe how these religious and philosophical questions gave rise to several occult organisations and movements.

What is the essence of God and how can the greatest intimacy with the divine be achieved? Is there a spark of the divine hidden within us and by what means can we access that precious kinship? In our quest for inner self-knowledge and understanding, can we reveal these higher cosmic truths? The esoteric doctrine of the Kabbalah, the school of ideas and systems in the Hermetic tradition, and the wisdom and tenets of Theosophy all seek to address these questions. And along with them, of course, were the artists inspired by these esoteric spheres of thought, who generated visionary responses to what they saw in these mystical traditions.

As you’ll see in the following pages, artists, in collaboration with whatever deities or higher powers they may choose to call upon – even if it is just the sacred flame within their own passionate, beating heart – remain as deeply compelled by such powerful questions today as did their counterparts worlds away and in times long past.

The Wish Theodor von Holst. 1840, oil on canvas.

The Wish Theodor von Holst. 1840, oil on canvas.

The London-born painter Theodor von Holst (1810–1844) is said to occupy a unique position in the history of British Romantic art, between his eccentric master Henry Fuseli (1741–1825) and his most important admirer Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882). Von Holst’s painting The Wish is a moodily and exquisite piece depicting fortune teller as femme fatale. It was the inspiration for Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s poem ‘The Card Dealer’.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This exhibition-in-a-book brings together a cornucopia of images from the Western occult tradition in a manner that inspires curiosity and thought."―MythLore

“No matter what the particular belief or sect, imagery has always played a vital role in the occult. Featuring a wide range of artists from the unknown to the famous and divided into thematic chapters, The Art of the Occult is a visual journey through the artistic interpretations of the mystical.”

―The Lineup

About the Author

S. Elizabeth (aka Mlle Ghoul) is a Florida-based writer specialising in art, the macabre and the supernatural. She is a staff writer at Haute Macabre and has written for Coilhouse, Dirge and the blog Death & the Maiden. S. Elizabeth was also the co-creator of The Occult Activity Book (vol 1 and 2) and runs two successful blogs: Ghoul Next Door (ghoulnextdoor.tumblr.com) and These Unquiet Things (unquietthings.com).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Frances Lincoln (October 13, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0711248834
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0711248830
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1 x 9.13 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 456 ratings

About the author

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S. Elizabeth

S. Elizabeth

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S. Elizabeth is a writer, curator, and frill-seeker. Her essays and interviews focusing on esoteric art have appeared in Haute Macabre, Coilhouse, Dirge Magazine, Death & The Maiden, and her occulture blog Unquiet Things, which intersects music, fashion, horror, perfume, and grief. She is the co-creator of The Occult Activity Book Vol 1 and 2.

The Art Of The Occult: A Sourcebook For The Modern Mystic, was published in October 2020, The Art of Darkness: A Treasury of the Morbid, Melancholic, and Macabre was published in September 2022, and her forthcoming title, The Art of Fantasy: A visual sourcebook of all that is unreal will be published in September 2023.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
456 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the writing quality lovely, weaving prose and insight that brings light to the pieces. They also describe the content as stunning and fascinating.

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Writing qualityContent
9 customers mention "Writing quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality lovely, weaving prose and insight into the pieces. They also say it's thoughtfully done, well researched, and has a good balance of well-known and lesser known artists and pieces.

"...the book as a whole and each individual section are vividly and thoughtfully introduced by S. Elizabeth, our insightful and lyrical author...." Read more

"This is a thickly illustrated tome that presents a range of artists, older & contemporary, famous & not as well known, within chapters dedicated to..." Read more

"...All thoughtfully done, well researched and definitely up a lot of people’s alley, probably excellent gift book for college black sheep/young witch..." Read more

"...levels of hand picked art that is lovely as it was, but she weaves prose and insight bringing light to the pieces in ways I hadn't thought of...." Read more

5 customers mention "Content"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's content fascinating, interesting, and gorgeous. They also say it's an awesome, fun, and easy to browse addition to any occult library. Readers also mention that the selected artwork and history in the book is wonderful.

"This is exactly the sort of utterly beautiful and bewitching book that would've lit my mind on fire as a kid and sent me off to the library, my book..." Read more

"...and matte black pages(grease tho watch out) so it’s an awesome fun easy to browse addition to any occult library...." Read more

"The selected artwork and history in this book is wonderful. Great quality!" Read more

"Absolutely gorgeous book. Stunning. It functions both as a interesting text and a gorgeous art piece." Read more

highly recommend
5 out of 5 stars
highly recommend
I love this book. I use it as a reference for drawing, inspiration, and like to leave it on my work desk. Indeed I enjoy everything s.elizabeth does. she has such a gift from bringing words to the ethereal. I also respect that she has SO many projects and appreciate all of the hard work she puts into curating artwork. shining a spotlight on amazing talent and being super humble about her own. I am going to buy the other two books, signed directly from her <3 I need the set
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Top reviews from the United States

Maika
5.0 out of 5 stars An umbrous and bewitching portal to the convergence of the occult and visual art
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is exactly the sort of utterly beautiful and bewitching book that would've lit my mind on fire as a kid and sent me off to the library, my book full of scraps of paper marking all the occult traditions, practices, and artists I absolutely had to look up. Which is not to say it's any less inspiring to me now, but that I happily envy those who find this engrossing volume at a formative age. Clearly organized by occult themes, traditions, and practitioners, both the book as a whole and each individual section are vividly and thoughtfully introduced by S. Elizabeth, our insightful and lyrical author. And each arresting page is a potential springboard for one's own artistic creativity or to go learn more about these fascinating artists and the varied aspects of the occult that inspired them.
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Maika
5.0 out of 5 stars An umbrous and bewitching portal to the convergence of the occult and visual art
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2022
This is exactly the sort of utterly beautiful and bewitching book that would've lit my mind on fire as a kid and sent me off to the library, my book full of scraps of paper marking all the occult traditions, practices, and artists I absolutely had to look up. Which is not to say it's any less inspiring to me now, but that I happily envy those who find this engrossing volume at a formative age. Clearly organized by occult themes, traditions, and practitioners, both the book as a whole and each individual section are vividly and thoughtfully introduced by S. Elizabeth, our insightful and lyrical author. And each arresting page is a potential springboard for one's own artistic creativity or to go learn more about these fascinating artists and the varied aspects of the occult that inspired them.
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11 people found this helpful
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Lisa J.
5.0 out of 5 stars The Art of the Occult - S. Elizabeth
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2021
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This is a thickly illustrated tome that presents a range of artists, older & contemporary, famous & not as well known, within chapters dedicated to various occult traditions - kabbalah, sacred geometry, ceremonial magic, witchcraft, etc.
Leonardo Da Vinci ("Vitruvian Man"), Goya ("Witches Sabbath"), Durer ("The Four Witches"), William Blake, & the Pre-Raphaelites will be familiar. What hooked/attracted me to this collection was the inclusion of several female artists: Hilma af Klint, Leonora Carrington, Agnes Pelton (who've all been having resurgencies in the art world), Marjorie Cameron, Vali Myers, Madge Gill, & Pamela Colman Smith (creator of the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck), to name a few.
With many of the contemporary artists, I'd like to know more in depth how they arrived at using the symbols & imagery that they do. And to what degree a spiritual path or belief informs their artwork.
Would like to have seen Rosaleen Norton, Austin Osman Spare, Emma Kunz, & Georgiana Houghton included. Maybe a follow-up volume will include those.
This is rich eye candy for the spirit & soul. Inspiration for both the mystic & visionary artist.
10 people found this helpful
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nerd_up
5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommend
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
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I love this book. I use it as a reference for drawing, inspiration, and like to leave it on my work desk. Indeed I enjoy everything s.elizabeth does. she has such a gift from bringing words to the ethereal. I also respect that she has SO many projects and appreciate all of the hard work she puts into curating artwork. shining a spotlight on amazing talent and being super humble about her own. I am going to buy the other two books, signed directly from her <3 I need the set
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nerd_up
5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommend
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024
I love this book. I use it as a reference for drawing, inspiration, and like to leave it on my work desk. Indeed I enjoy everything s.elizabeth does. she has such a gift from bringing words to the ethereal. I also respect that she has SO many projects and appreciate all of the hard work she puts into curating artwork. shining a spotlight on amazing talent and being super humble about her own. I am going to buy the other two books, signed directly from her <3 I need the set
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M. A. Butler
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! Loved it!
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024
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Loved this book, couldn't put it down...
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Shannon
4.0 out of 5 stars Really nice but-
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2022
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 I was hoping for more full pages of older esoteric art, this puppy has got a decent amount of quotes, writing and 1990-2000s art. All thoughtfully done, well researched and definitely up a lot of people’s alley, probably excellent gift book for college black sheep/young witch vibe, but if you’re looking for large art prints to drool over you can probably find better options for price point. That being said this book looks v sexy with Hilma af Klimt on the front and matte black pages(grease tho watch out) so it’s an awesome fun easy to browse addition to any occult library. I have no regrets, just not exactly what I was expecting from a “visual sourcebook” 😈🔮
37 people found this helpful
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Ashley
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024
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Beautifully done book. The pages are thick, sometimes black, and always gorgeous. The descriptions and introductions really helped me learn and feel the art. I love the mix of older and more modern artists. I started following as many as I can on Instagram.
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Ashley
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2024
Beautifully done book. The pages are thick, sometimes black, and always gorgeous. The descriptions and introductions really helped me learn and feel the art. I love the mix of older and more modern artists. I started following as many as I can on Instagram.
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Paul C.
5.0 out of 5 stars Hey, expanded awareness, expanded, art, This is it.
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2023
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If you’re in the art worthy of cold, this is the bomb it’s the best. You know what if you’re into the cold and arts and history and humanism and people at incarnation all my God this is the best I love it. If you’re new to it, it’ll introduce you if it you’re on your path at all validate it definitely expanded my experience of life and being incarnated. I’m so glad I purchase this book. Thank you thank you thank you.
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Shana Novinski
5.0 out of 5 stars A unique journey through art
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2021
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The Art of Occult is a beautiful journey through art that has hints of mysticism or is just clearly pure occultist. The author walks you through the layers and levels of hand picked art that is lovely as it was, but she weaves prose and insight bringing light to the pieces in ways I hadn't thought of. I was delighted by pieces I had never seen before and learning facts about artists that I didn't know. This lead me to seek out more art by artists I didn't know and creating a giant rabbit hole of learning. It's what I love most about unique books like this, they just create a giant teaching tool. My father taught art and our house had so many books on art. While they were mostly placed in time periods, types of art or just on single artists I feel this book brought something different to the art book world.
11 people found this helpful
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Cinthya
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to the occult and esoteric collection
Reviewed in Mexico on June 30, 2024
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 I loved it, it’s a great book, it was a gift for my husband and he absolutely adores it. We read it to our baby!!
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Cinthya
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to the occult and esoteric collection
Reviewed in Mexico on June 30, 2024
I loved it, it’s a great book, it was a gift for my husband and he absolutely adores it. We read it to our baby!!
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Sarah Stephens
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully curated delve into a deliciously unique topic
Reviewed in Canada on July 30, 2022
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I am a lover of art history and the occult, so this book is right up my alley. I’m also a dork for design and absolutely love the layout of this book and how text and imagery are incorporated, but that’s the cherry on top of the occult cake.

S. Elizabeth has lovingly compiled a beautifully broad collection of art from throughout history and has peppered these examples with well written and researched prose that does each topic and artist justice.

It’s the type of book you can skim through for its sheer beauty, or, y’know, actually read through if you want to learn something. Whatever type of reader you are, it is thoroughly enjoyable and a must have for collectors are all things artistic and spooky!
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B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Breve Historiografia e Iconografia do Zodíaco.
Reviewed in Brazil on April 29, 2022
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Maravilhoso! Livro lindíssimo em cada detalhe. Discorre de forma breve sobre a iconografia do zodíaco, a imagética do cosmos e a representação na arte, além de como isso influenciou fortemente na história da arte e a humanidade em si, quando se trata de se "orientar" através de um zodíaco.
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I'm very pleased as the mug I ordered seems very well made and great quality
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2024
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This is a beautiful book and great reference source 👏 thanks
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A. Richter
5.0 out of 5 stars Occult art through the ages
Reviewed in Germany on October 14, 2020
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I’ve been waiting patiently for this book to arrive and it did not disappoint! S. Elizabeth’s book is both informative and inspiring. She gives an outline of occult inspired art of more than 10 centuries, also sharing contemporary works and a good number of female artists. In this book you’ll find familiar artworks as well as quite a few new ones to discover! An excellent source guide!
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A. Richter
5.0 out of 5 stars Occult art through the ages
Reviewed in Germany on October 14, 2020
I’ve been waiting patiently for this book to arrive and it did not disappoint! S. Elizabeth’s book is both informative and inspiring. She gives an outline of occult inspired art of more than 10 centuries, also sharing contemporary works and a good number of female artists. In this book you’ll find familiar artworks as well as quite a few new ones to discover! An excellent source guide!
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2 people found this helpful
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