Weightlessness, Between Novalis and Paul Klee
Aesthetics and wisdom are combined to enchanting effect in an edition of The Novices of Sais, illustrated by Paul Klee.
Throughout the ecstatic parade that is the history of books there are editions destined never to be forgotten. These are often germinated at the intersection of circumstance and success where a particular brilliance is forged. When it happens, and when one of these works reaches the hands of a reader, in but a precious moment, it is consumed, something like when the perfectly cut stone finds its place in the setting for which it was destined.
Novalis’ Novices of Sais was written in 1802. It’s a kind of dance of poetic philosophy centered around nature – an omnipresent theme in the German literary work of the time. Even one hundred years later it continued to inspire the greatest creators of their own times, among them Rilke, Borges, and Herman Hesse. Swiss-German artist, Paul Klee was inspired by the seething allegories of Novalis to complete his own series of illustrations in 1949. These were merged with a new English translation by Ralph Manheim and published in 2005 by Archipelago Books.
Strokes just barely emerge from a secret white. The minimalism is empathic. Such has Klee himself translated the reflections of one of history’s fondest romantics. The childlike simplicity proves to be an ideal medium for visualizing an imaginary congregation of spiritual gardeners in Egypt, and from whom Novalis is responsible for extracting that invaluable filament.
Perhaps no one has so diluted the distance between the rational and the natural with the sensitivity of Novalis, in publishing The Novices of Sais. Illustrated with Klee’s drawings, the work takes on a message of hopeful grace that stays with you, between your hands.
Related Articles
Pictorial spiritism (a woman's drawings guided by a spirit)
There are numerous examples in the history of self-taught artists which suggest an interrogation of that which we take for granted within the universe of art. Such was the case with figures like
Astounding fairytale illustrations from Japan
Fairy tales tribal stories— are more than childish tales. Such fictions, the characters of which inhabit our earliest memories, aren’t just literary works with an aesthetic and pleasant purpose. They
A cinematic poem and an ode to water: its rhythms, shapes and textures
Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water. - John Keats Without water the equation of life, at least life as we know it, would be impossible. A growing hypothesis holds that water, including the
Watch beauty unfold through science in this "ode to a flower" (video)
The study of the microscopic is one of the richest, most aesthetic methods of understanding the world. Lucky is the scientist who, upon seeing something beautiful, is able to see all of the tiny
To invent those we love or to see them as they are? Love in two of the movies' favorite scenes
So much has been said already, of “love” that it’s difficult to add anything, much less something new. It’s possible, though, perhaps because even if you try to pass through the sieve of all our
This app allows you to find and preserve ancient typographies
Most people, even those who are far removed from the world of design, are familiar with some type of typography and its ability to transform any text, help out dyslexics or stretch an eight page paper
The secrets of the mind-body connection
For decades medical research has recognized the existence of the placebo effect — in which the assumption that a medication will help produces actual physical improvements. In addition to this, a
The sea as infinite laboratory
Much of our thinking on the shape of the world and the universe derives from the way scientists and artists have approached these topics over time. Our fascination with the mysteries of the
Sharing and collaborating - natural movements of the creative being
We might sometimes think that artistic or creative activity is, in essence, individualistic. The Genesis of Judeo-Christian tradition portrays a God whose decision to create the world is as vehement
John Malkovich becomes David Lynch (and other characters)
John Malkovich and David Lynch are, respectively, the actor and film director who’ve implicitly or explicitly addressed the issues of identity and its porous barriers through numerous projects. Now