The Old Masters / New Visions seminar began with the opening of the 100 Sacred Artists exhibition. More than 60 paintings from around the world were on offer. The exhibition was opened by Ernst Fuchs, who made a speech declaring that mostly American students had travelled across the Atlantic to Europe so as to learn the time-honoured techniques which many Europeans had themselves lost or spurned. Painting, he said, is a discipline which should be comparable to music, requiring years of training and constant practice. But, this must be pushed further forward through the spontaneous visions of the artist deeply involved in his creation of a work of art.
During the course of the 4-week seminar, paintings were carefully developed according to the method of the Mischtechnik - an early Netherlandish style of painting rediscovered by Ernst Fuchs. A foundation of white egg-tempera emulsion was applied and re-applied with alternating layers of colour in oleo-resinous glazes. In particular, Micheal Fuchs laboured hard to keep us on this difficult path, though some felt themselves going astray. Co-incident to the seminar was the release of Phil R. Jacobson's book, Drinking Lightning, which offered his many insights and experiences regarding the transformative process of creativity and trans-personal art. Though a fiery atmosphere ruled at times, with disputes breaking out between students and teachers, all agreed that much was to be learned from this fascinating method of painting.
Trips were also made to De Es Schwertberger's studio, the Fuchs-Wagner Villa, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
All the artists at the seminar were brought together through the power of the internet. A deep kinship formed between several members of the group. Meals were shared in the school kitchen, and conversations lasted late into the night. Through this series of late-night discussions, it became apparent to many of us that it was something in our visions that were calling us here. The darkness vs. the light, the presence of the Sacred, and the use of psychadelics in Visionary Art were all intensely discussed, and many fascinating experiences were recounted.
The whole was an experience not soon to be forgotten by the participants.
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