THE PAINTING CYCLE WORLDS
I do not know how I could bring the essence
of these paintings closer to the viewer by "explanation",
because if words could grasp what is pictured here,
then I would not have created it in form and color.
I can only say that everything which I reveal in these paintings
is real and natural for my inner vision,
as any external object is real for my outer seeing;
and I found people seeing the same with their inner eye,
and were delighted to see an artistic reproduction.
– WORLDS OF SPIRIT
The cycle of paintings
Worlds
is comprised of 20 works and belongs to the book
Worlds of Spirit
(Welten).
We do not have better pictures. However, the majority of the painting cycle
Worlds
can be purchased in high quality fine art prints or even as a replica from
Kober-Verlag.
Click on the images to enlarge or minimize, using the corresponding zoom control on your device.
About the period of the creation of the painting series
Worlds: In the second (1960) and third (1997) edition of his book, 'The Painter Bô Yin Râ', Rudolf Schott writes about the paintings: "Bô Yin Râ painted these works in Görlitz (around 1920 to 1922) both for himself and those close to him who understood." (p. 126). This information was valid for many decades.
According to the most recent research in Görlitz, the latest time of completion can be dated to May 1921, as in this month there was an exhibition of the Jacob Böhme Association (Jakob-Böhme-Bund) in Görlitz, part of which was the Worlds series. (source: Publishing house Magische Blätter April 2020, S. 137ff)
In the book 'My Work As A Painter', by Bô Yin Râ, one can see that his first spiritual paintings were already in the world, even before Expressionism existed. (p. 44) In his article published in the Görlitz gazette on June 5th, 1921 (source: Publishing house Magische Blätter April 2020, p. 140) about the exhibition mentioned above, Bô Yin Râ refers directly to the majority of the Worlds series. And he included a similar statement directly in the preface of the book Worlds (1922) as well.
If the start of Expressionism is dated to the time that the artist community 'Die Brücke' (The Bridge) was established in 1905, then only the first years of the century remain as the possible time frame within which these spiritual paintings originated. Another indication is given in an obituary written about Max Klinger the German artist (source: review II, Kober-Verlag, p. 63ff), who died on July 4th, 1920. There Bô Yin Râ writes that he had met him for the first time fifteen years prior (i.e. in 1905) and stated that the first spiritual paintings already existed at this time, even if Bô Yin Râ only showed them to Klinger in a later meeting. Finally, there was another newspaper article found from 1921 with evidence that Worlds was already twenty years old (source: Publishing house Magische Blätter April 2020, p. 232f).
Amazingly, Schott himself wrote in the first edition (1927) of the book referred to above, which Bô Yin Râ could still go through: "Bô Yin Râ painted most of these compositions a long time ago – some almost a quarter of a century ago – ..." We can be assured that the majority of the Worlds paintings evolved soon after the beginning of the twentieth Century, with the first, still hidden writings of the spiritual textbook (Hortus conclusus, final chapter). In addition the pentagonal signature visible today on all Worlds paintings with the initials of his spiritual name – that he only received 1912/1913 in Greece – must have been added, in most cases, retrospectively. In fact, even the illustrations in the first edition (1922) of the book Worlds do not have this pentagonal signature.
In the Magische Blätter (source: November 2022, p. 28ff) we learn from the Swedish Bô Yin Râ Foundation that the painting cycle Worlds was sold "around 1920" to Sweden. In spring 1952 they arrived in Switzerland, where they are to this day. In 1956, the 2nd edition of Worlds was published by Kober Publishing house with new illustrations. From the biographical data of the artist it can be concluded that he never saw the Worlds paintings again after the Görlitz exhibition in May 1921.
The cited Magische Blätter (Magic Paper) are available here.
* * *
Finally it should not be overlooked, that all the biographical data on these pages is irrelevant for understanding the books and paintings; as far as one aims at an internalization comparable to the intake of food which one takes in order to feel its effect and not in order to analyze its ingredients.
In this comparison with the food the external information given here would be the packaging – however not with the intention to describe the content, but to point to it that one finds it!
This biographical information serves its purpose by inviting you to discover it, and, for those who do not yet know the author and painter, to check whether you want to eat the 'food' or not. It is also for those for whom
Bô Yin Râ's work has become a companion in life and whose interest may at some point turn towards the author's earthly path. Although this is not 'necessary'. May it let you relive how his work came into the world without a laborious search for information.