Page 28 - Studio Internationa - March 1971

emerge in light. Mantra employs the power of with the potentially dynamic. He associates and Khajuraho, in which situation, gestures
sound vibrations. Sound creates light at a colours with forms to evoke psychological and emotion transcend the phenomenal,
vibratory level because light is sound at a effects. This practice suggests a strong influence, relative order of Maya to exist in an absolute,
particular frequency; therefore every vibratory both philosophically and pictorially, from the timeless State of Being.
sound has a certain colour.24 So all Mantras psychological 'thought-forms' drawn and Therefore, apart from the pictorial affinities
have a corresponding colour and form. discussed by Theosophists. A thought-form is suggested, I have tried to show that
Kandinsky was extremely interested in the described as 'a living-entity of intense activity metaphysical links between western abstract
symbolic associations of sound with form and animated by the one idea that generated it'.27 painting and Tantric imagery can only be
colour: ... sound then is the soul of form Drawings of such illustrate the Theosophist intimated on the general level of a common
which comes to life only through sound, from belief that forms are made by sound vibrations concern with the spiritual.
the inside out.' His ideas on the repetition of in the matter of the mental body which then Since universals can exist only at the level
sound echo the Tantric concept of Mantra: emits an infinite play of colour combined with of structure and not at the level of manifest fact,
`The repetition of a word ... will intensify the floating forms and radiating patterns. The the only valid attempt at a philosophical
eternal structure and bring out unsuspected quality of the thought determines the colour, comparison of the two creative languages would
spiritual properties in the work itself ... and the nature of the thought determines the need to find a common structure within which
Frequent repetition ... deprives the word of its form. The 'accordion' movement of space both could be contrasted. As in anthropology,
external reference.' 25 Following his principle vibrating backwards and forwards from `there is nothing profound to be learned from
of 'inner necessity', forms have a sound of their Kandinsky's canvas surface relates closely to the comparison of single isolated cultural
own, as illustrated by the musical titles the vibration across the colour and pattern items, but only from the universal patterning
Kandinsky gave to his paintings. fields of Tantric Kshetras, depicting the eternal of relationships which correlates sets of human
The symbolism of his geometric forms is flux and divine play of cosmological space. creative activity.' 28 This would, therefore, only
ostensibly similar to those of Yantras; for Similarly, his extraordinarily 'mythological' be possible if a western artist underwent
example, his interacting triangles 'with their space in works of the twenties like Tantric initiation and then found certain
particular spiritual perfume'26, his use of Yellow-Red-Blue, Black Accompaniment, phenomena which could be related
circles for their integrating properties, 'the Quiet and Black Increasing, reflect space as structurally. q
synthesis of opposites', combining the static depicted in the Tantric sculptures of Konarak

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