The Path of Beauty and the Spring 2025 Collection
Good day friends,
I am pleased to have my Spring 2025 Collection ready for release. This collection represents a continuation of thought and practice from my previous works, as the source of inspiration has remained steadfast. Over the last three months, I have immersed myself in the remnants of antiquity — written, visual, and musical — and I remain captivated by a certain “savor” absent in the modern world. My approach, both creatively and intellectually, aligns more closely with classical modes of thought and perception. However, this should not be mistaken for mere nostalgia or escapism from the striking immediacy of the digital age. Rather, by engaging deeply with what was once held as most valuable, I have rediscovered tools of discernment that enable me to navigate both the present, and my art with greater intuition and truth.
As a visual artist, I am deeply concerned with the aesthetic nature of things. To strive for beauty in my work is, of course, a given. Yet, the “savor” I speak of is more than aesthetic delight; it is beauty itself. Beauty is not merely a static noun but an active presence — a verb in the sense that it seeks to illuminate, elevate, and transform. When we attempt to beautify something, we are not simply enhancing its aesthetic appeal but improving the conditions through which beauty can manifest. Beauty is emergent, the first means of intelligibility in creation, spoken into existence by the Word of God. Virtue and grace are the languages of beauty, and anything truly new is brought into being only through this divine quality.
Reason and rationality, as essential as they are, remain insufficient when it comes to comprehending beauty. While reason can discern and describe the beautiful, it is ultimately dependent upon beauty to justify itself. Without beauty, reason risks justifying itself through circularity or, worse, anchoring itself to something lesser. Beauty, by its very nature, finds its justification solely in God, the ultimate source of all that is good, true, and beautiful.
In the material realm, beauty is fleeting. It waxes and wanes, inevitably returning to its divine source. Yet in the spiritual realm, beauty accumulates, transcending the temporal and pointing towards the eternal. As spiritual beauty grows, the importance of the material diminishes, displaced by the eternal truths it reveals. This understanding of beauty as transcendental, as something that draws us beyond the immediate and the subjective, has profoundly shaped my artistic journey and is the foundation of my latest works.
Reflecting on this journey, I recognize the influence of thinkers such as Friedrich Schiller and Hans Urs von Balthasar. Schiller’s exploration of the relationship between beauty, freedom, and human development resonates deeply. In his 'Letters on the Aesthetic Education of Man,' Schiller argues that beauty serves as a bridge between reason and emotion, enabling humanity to rise above its basest instincts and aspire to higher ideals, "It is through Beauty that we arrive at Freedom." Similarly, von Balthasar’s 'The Glory of the Lord' emphasizes beauty as a revelation of divine glory, asserting that beauty has the power to draw us towards truth and goodness, "We no longer dare to believe in beauty and we make of it a mere appearance in order the more easily to dispose of it." These insights, and those of many others, have informed my understanding of beauty not as mere aesthetic pleasure but as a pathway to transcendence and divine encounter.
Through this collection, I hope not only to offer a window into the ideas and inspirations behind my work but also to inspire in viewers a renewed love for the classical understanding of beauty. May it be a reminder of beauty’s origin, its higher purpose, and its role in pointing us towards the eternal. In a world often preoccupied with the fleeting and the material, my hope is to rekindle an appreciation for the transcendent and the timeless.
Thank you for journeying with me!
New in the 'Heavy Hand' Collection: ‘Rosa Immacolata', 14.5" x 17" acrylic on wood panel.
New in the ‘Magical Paper and Ink’ Collection: 'Midnight Fog and Mystagogues', 15" x 22" watercolor on paper, 8.5 x 11" print, and 18" x 24" print; 'Archangelo', 9" x 12" watercolor and ink on paper, 8.5" x 11" print, 18" x 24" print; 'Grace Departs', 9" x 12" watercolor on paper, 8.5" x 11" print; 'In Due Season', 15" x 22" watercolor on paper; ‘Rosa Immacolata', 8.5" x 11" print, 18" x 24" print.
New in the 'Streams of Discovery' Collection: 'Limerick Junction', 46" x 70" acrylic and metal on a studio made cradled wood panel.
New in the 'Stuck on You' Collection: 'The Art of Chris Geremia', 4" round sticker, 'Pictoris Lore', 4" die cut sticker.
New Lore, Poetry, and Essays at Pictoris Lore (https://pictorislore.com): 'Technicality', Poetry; 'Midnight Fog and Mystagogues', Lore; 'Archangelo', Lore; 'Grace Departs', Lore; 'In Due Season', Lore; ‘Rosa Immacolata', Lore; 'The Path of Beauty and the Spring 2025 Collection', Essay.
I do thank you for your time and continued support. Feel free to drop me a line should you wish to share your thoughts or to discuss anything in more detail.
Sincerely, Chris Geremia
All new art can be seen at: https://chrisgeremia.com
All new lore can be seen at:https://pictorislore.com
All original art images Copyright Silver Palm Publishing, 2024