The Swedenborg and the Arts International Conference sparked new thought and deep conversations about Emanuel Swedenborgโs influence across many areas of the arts. The academic conference, held June 6-9 on the campus of Bryn Athyn College, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, featured more than thirty papers from scholars all over the world on topics ranging from literature, painting, and architecture to modern art and film.
A keynote speech by Wouter Hanegraaff of the University of Amsterdam on day one highlighted the ways in which artists of the Romantic and Idealist periods were inspired by Swedenborgโs visions of heaven and sought to connect to the divine through their art. His talk led into a session where presenters considered spiritualist art, from spirit paintings to channeled poetry and automatic writing. The afternoon session that day considered Swedenborgโs influence on literatureโin particular, the way that the concept of correspondences influenced the Russian symbolists and the literature of the Russian age of symbolism, and an examination of the Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borgesโs imaginal relationship with Swedenborgโs descriptions of heaven and hell.
Day two opened with Linda Dalrymple Henderson of the University of Texas at Austin examining the ways in which Swedenborgโs concept of higher dimensions of space resonated with artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, for whom new scientific discoveries were opening up whole new worlds of understanding. Her talk led into a panel on the visual arts, including a discussion of the deep influence Swedenborgian pastor Joseph Worcester had on artist William Keith and the ways in which George Inness sought to express spiritual realities through his landscape paintings. Afternoon sessions examined Swedenborgian influences on architecture, in particular on Daniel Burnhamโs Plan of Chicago, and also on the music of C. J. Whittington.
On day three, Massimo Introvigne, the founder and director of the Center for Studies on New Religions, tackled the question of Swedenborgโs influence on the artsโhow that influence can be defined, and how we can categorize the various types of artists who have some connection to Swedenborgโs thought. His keynote speech set the stage for a session on William Blake, whose problematic relationship with Swedenborgโs ideas has been the fuel for a great deal of scholarly research over the years. Panelists examined the internal geometry and symbolism of Blakeโs spiritual engravings and how they reflect a uniquely Swedenborgian perspective; the question of how Swedenborgโs concept of marriage love can be seen in Blakeโs poetry; and how Blakeโs poemย The Everlasting Gospelย reflects an alternative vision of the Last Judgment that echoโs Swedenborgโs visions.
Day three continued with considerations of Swedenborg and European Romanticism, in particular French writers such as Honorรฉ de Balzac, Gรฉrard de Nerval, Thรฉophile Gautier, Gustave Flaubert, and Charles Baudelaire; Belgian artist Jean-Jacques Gailliard; and the abstract art of Wassily Kandinsky. A session on the James familyโHenry Sr., a dedicated if unorthodox Swedenborgian; acclaimed novelist Henry Jr.; and William (son of Henry Sr. and brother of Henry Jr.), a pioneer in psychology and religious experienceโfocused on their contribution to modern thought. William James was fascinated with the many expressions of religious belief, and his views on immanence of the spirit and social justice reflect his fatherโs Swedenborgian thought. Williamโs Pragmatist ideas, in turn, influenced artists such as Georgia OโKeeffe and Alfred Stieglitz. Henry James Jr., who like his brother showed little interest in embracing Swedenborgโs theology, nevertheless engaged with Swedenborgโs concept of vastation in his novelย The Ambassadors.
The final day of the conference featured presentations from contemporary artists who incorporate Swedenborgโs thought into a variety of media, from literature to poetry and photography. The day was led by keynote speaker Homero Aridjis, a Mexican poet and environmental activist, who read from a collection of poems titledย A Time of Angels.
For those who werenโt able to come to the conference, the organizers hope to post recordings of the presentations online. There are also plans for a future book containing the papers presented at the conference (publisher and date to be determined).
The Swedenborg Foundation was proud to co-sponsor this thought-provoking event. The organizers would also like to extend their thanks to the eventโs other sponsors: host institution Bryn Athyn College, Glencairn Museum, the Swedenborg Scientific Association, and the Center for Swedenborgian Studies at the Graduate Theological Union.
You can find more from conference presenters and session chairs in the following books:
- Homero Aridjis, An Angel Speaks
- Wouter Hanegraaff,ย Swedenborg, Oetinger, Kant
- Kristin King,ย Gardens of Heaven and Earth
- William Rowlandson, Imaginal Landscapes
- Sylvia Shaw,ย Paradise Misplaced
And more about Swedenborg’s influence on the arts in the following:
- Between Method and Madness: Essays on Swedenborg and Literature, ed. Stephen McNeilly
- Emanuel SwedenborgโExploring a “World Memory,” Karl Grandin (proceedings from a previous conference includes discussion of Swedenborg artistic influence)
- Swedenborg, Mesmer, and the Mind-Body Connection, John Haller (contains discussions of the James family and Andrew Jackson Davis)