Feminist Perspectives on Materials and Making in Leonora Carrington’s Esoteric Art Practice
Approaching Religion December 2, 2025 DOI: 10.30664/ar.161737 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Meaning existential Painting Intersection aeronautics Renaissance art Art methodology Contemporary art History of art The renaissance Epistemology Aesthetics Representation politics Function biology Anthropology of art Work of art Art history Jungian analytical psychology |
| Key points | Proposes that understanding Carrington's art requires going beyond dualistic thinking to see materials as integral to meaning and magical function, and that her painting process was an epistemological practice drawing on esoteric principles. |
Abstract
This article proposes that approaching the work and practice of the British-born Mexican artist Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) and other women working at the intersection of art and esotericism necessitates revisiting some fundamental assumptions and approaches of the discipline of art history, namely the separation of material from meaning and the complete transmutation of the material into “pure” form and image. At the example of two case studies drawn from Carrington’s esoteric art practice related to materials and making, it argues that only by going beyond hierarchical dualistic thinking can we understand the role Carrington’s materials played in the meaning and magical function of her works, and comprehend her painting process as an epistemological practice, which drew on esoteric principles and expanded notions of the Surrealist marvellous through attention to the non-human in the form of materials.