About the Work
Gregor Danelian has written extensively about his work, including detailed expositions of the meanings of each piece in the series of major works "In the Light of His Light" (see below). As his representative in the UK, I have chosen not to tinker with his own English translation in order to let him speak as far as possible in his own words.
His own introduction to the series – which took nine years to complete - gives an initial insight into the nature of his creative project:
"The author defines the nature of the project as a creation of an exclusive gallery "The Garden of Hearts", which would reflect in itself the idea of Paradise, i.e. the place of Bliss and Peace of the spirit. "The Garden of Hearts" should consist of highly spiritual compositions which will have in their highest mastery the spirit of mysticism and sacrament. The author aimed at achieving the highest mastery, performed through the fundamental principle of material reflection of the vibrations of the Ultimate Spirit and divine inner light in the paintings. This complex creative goal has also become his credo in his own life."
The Dialogue with a Parrot
In his adolescent years the author was greatly impressed by the acquaintance with one of the most ancient books in the world- "Panchattatra" and also with "The Narrations by Vestal Virgin and the King". This painting was not meant to be illustrative to these works of the world literature. The painting has its own mental and spiritual content.
The author given the reality of the depicted strives to transmit the idea of Mysteriousness and Mysticism. The woman personifies not only the royalty of Nature but also its Sacraments. The Woman's rich attire reflects the Nature's beauty in the material world. The key figure in the painting is the Parrot which according to ancient beliefs is a linking medium between Man and the Astral world. In Oriental tradition the Parrot is associated with prophecy. Several stylized rays coming from the Parrot symbolize power as the Parrot is an attribute of Kama, god of Love. The Ball on the top of which sits the Parrot resembles the globe, the symbol of world Sovereignty and Power. The hexahedron on the table is a symbol of life, eternal revival, of eternal life.
In ancient times this form was viewed intermediate between the square (worldly existence) and the circle (heaven, eternity). The main colour range is golden-yellow. It is the sign of royalty, dignity, Centre but also Serenity and estrangement from the mundane world.
Emphasized dynamism of the painting is expressed in the Woman's and Parrot's glances. These glances have the same expression. An inner dialogue of Silence is taking place between them. In spite of onward static character of the Woman and the Parrot, the Light radiating across the whole surface of the painting is vibrating, which testifies to the inner dynamism of the Mysterious Dialogue.
The Dancing of the Divine Moorish Lass
In the painting we can see a Moorish lass dancing against the background of Nature. In Morocco, according to ancient legends there were priestesses who predetermined fate by dancing. Light and natural movements of the Moorish lass transmit a state of freedom and merger in Nature. The dance, carrying in itself an ancient ritual of communicating and uniting with the flow of cosmic energy, in this painting is at the same time an expression of bliss and serenity. The author purposefully uses the pictorial technique of medieval Italian masters of areal dissolution , softness of light reflection which emphasized the Divine essence of what is going on. Ancient buildings as the background are of different architectural styles: Moorish, Baroque, Arabian, Spanish and medieval French with a slanting tower – the only diagonal form in the painting. The Lass is holding a fan as a symbol of flowering and immortality. The fan is open and this gives us an idea of moon phases and hence of women's mood. However, the colour of the fan expresses extreme serenity and calmness on the face of the dancing lass. Her face was depicted according to the same principle of sfumatto with the emphasis on the intensive inner Luminescence. The harmony of the Luminescence and the face adds to the inner movement of the dance in its harmony and union with Nature.
Symurg
It completes the collection and is the most mysterious painting created during last five years. It depicts the mystic bird Symurg on the mountain Kaff. The bird has one more name "The King of Birds". As one ancient legend says : Symurg brought down the Earth a sprout of the Tree of Life from the Heaven or from the holy mountain Kaff. In mysticism Symurg (or thirty birds) – is a code phrase meaning the development of mind through concentration and transmission of the concept of meditation. In greater detail this harmonious transformation into a Perfect Human Being was described by famous and great Master of sufies Attar. In his famous work "The Parliament of Birds." Symurg is depicted as a mysterious king and a lot of birds are set out to search for him. Here the birds personify the mankind. For achieving Symurg , i.e. the condition of perfection birds have to walk across seven vallies i.e. seven conditions: The Valley of Search, The Valley of Love- boundless ocean, where the traveling man is fully absorbed in searching for his Beloved. In The Valley of Intuitive Knowledge the heart perceives the Light of Truth. In the Valley of Oneness the human being perceives oneness of things and ideas, which before seemed miscellaneous to him. Confusion, mixed with love this is the condition the human being experiences in The Valley of Admiration, where knowledge is replaced by Love. This is the inner awakening to Reality. And at last in the Valley of Transformation a human being becomes a perfect human being, realizes the secret of merger of a separate drop with the Ocean. It is not only the process of enlightenment but it is also the process of Self-Realisation. The image of Symurg is the image of the Ultimate and reminds the author of the words from Christ's Hymn:
I am a lamp to thee who beholdest Me,
I am a Mirror to thee who perceivest Me,
I am a Door to thee who knockest at Me,
I am a Way to thee a wayfarer.
It is an image of the Revival of human spirit and also it is a hope for the victory over death. This image is often used in legends and folklore of different nations: The Bird Phoenix, The bird Pen or Phenuan (China). The Fire Bird in Russian folklore, a prototype of Livingstone's famous Seagull (Richard Bach) is possibly Symurg.
Symurg radiates strong inner Light and its vibrations fill the Universe at dawn. It seems as if Symurg was looking at the Harading Dawn Star appearing in the sky. The Star was considered to be a celestian window and it also symbolized Creation. The Dawn symbolizes the Highest Enlightenment. Symurg is all in feathers. The feathers symbolize the Ascension. They also symbolize a magic connection with the world of spirits or the Divine Power. The cliff on which Symurg is standing is turquoise in colour: turquoise- is a stone of bravery, success and royal patronage. The turquoise colour joins the sky and the earth, the sun and fire. Symurg's glance is mysterious and deep. This glance as if reminds us of the ancient truth: turn your eyes inside. All the knowledge , all the powers- everything is inside. Your destiny is inside, your future is inside, the Supreme Being is inside.
This collection which has the name "In the Light of His Light" has been completed. It took the author nine years of creative work.. During that period the spiritual condition of the author was constantly changing. But only one thing remained unchanged the condition of Absorption and Realization in The Light of His Light.
The Mystery of Salome
It is a widely known subject in the world culture (theatre, fine arts). It relates to that time when Erode Antipa was governing in Galileus. Erode took his brother's wife Irodia and married her, and in such a way he transgressed all the customs. But there was saint John and he scolded Erode before people for this action. And Erode puts John to prison, but he I was afraid to kill him, because John was very popular.
Once during the feast on Erode's birthday Irodia's daughter Salome was dancing before her step-father. Erode was captivated with this erotic dance so much, that he promised Salome anything what she would want. Under her mother's guidance Salome asked Erode to kill John and bring his head on the salver.
The painting depicts the ecstasy of the flight of the dancing Salome. The illumination in the painting goes from below upwards and it intensifies the dynamism and the mysteriousness of the dance. The scene is laid at night. Salome is naked and she is twined with golden ribbons and golden fetters. In the fine arts fetters are - is the symbol of deprivation of freedom and they also symboliz the Suprime Power of Gods and Kings(Varuna in Vedas). The Fan behind Salome is the symbol of power (God of fire Agni, keeps the fan). The Fan is open and this gives us an idea of the moon phases and in the wider sense of instability of woman's mood. The of marble emphasizes the dynamism of mysteriousness. Finally, the dominant of the painting is a luminous Ball under Salom's feet. The Ball is the symbol of the Sun. The ball gives out violet radiance – the colour of restraint, moderation and spirituality. This Ball is surrounded with Light, it is the symbol of immortality, purity, revelation (Christ-was the Light of the World, Buddha- was the Light of Asia, Krishna- was the Commander of Light, Allah- is the Light of Heaven and Earth). Salome is dancing at the background of the Niche. The Niche in Christian, Islamic and Hindu architecture symbolizes a cave- the horizontal base of which symbolizes the Earth and the arch is the sky – the Residence of God. The radiance inside the Niche means the Divene Presence or the Word of God. This painting reflects the condition of mysterious tension in the world in between the second and the third millennium. It reminds us, that only Light can resist the evil and violence. And this Light is a Divine Reflection in the Human Being's Essence.
The Woman Illusionist with Balls
The idea of this work (i.e. " Illusionist") has stirred the author for many years. The author doesn"t associate this subject with a circus theme, because he puts much deeper meaning into the notion of "Illusionist". According to his understanding " Illusionist" is the Creator, Absolute and everything around is the fruit created by the Ultimate Cosmic Intellect starting with microworld and finishing with macroworld. It is because of this that the author put balls into the Creator's hands. The Creator is playing with the balls. It is His Cosmic play, full of Luminescence and Mysteriousness. Strict vertical static character along the centre of the painting reminds us again that the whole Universe, the whole World, micro-and macrocosm have one and the same Base which is the Axis, the Divine Axis. It is permeated with Light, Inner Light. Even the hexagonal forms (the attributes of the Woman- Illusionist) symbolize the number of the Union of the male principle(fire, sky) with the female principle (water, earth). And it is not by accident that beyond this all, along the line of the Axis, in the very centre there is an Effulgent Ball. It is at the Heart level and we are reminded again of God Himself, the Source of Spiritual Enlightenment. Representation of the Creator as a Woman-Illusionist is symbolic as it emphasizes the idea that the Creator is Great Sacrament.
The Mystic Fish
The history of creation of this canvas started in 1982 when the graphicshee "A Fantastical Fish" was created (Indian ink, pen, private collection, France). Later the author repeatedly turned towards this most ancient symbol of Nature, personifying fertility (for instance, the triptych "A Big Show"-the left part is "A Flying Fish"- canvas, oil, private collection). In the history of the world fine arts a fish was often depicted as an element of still life (Snyders, Piter Klaas, Chardin) and very seldom a fish was used as a mystic symbol (mainly in early Italian painting and also in Byzantine and Russian icon painting). That is why the author when depicting "A Fish", decided to approach this topic on the basis of mysteriousness and mysticism as much as possible. In this work he decided to unite the attitude and the opinion regarding the Fish-symbol as it is found in religious beliefs of different peoples and thereupon to show the wholeness of this subject.
The Fish symbolizes absolute freedom and is a symbol used by orthodox Judaists. The Fish is a symbol of wisdom and wealth. The Fish is also a symbol of redemption and reincarnation (Vishnu, Hinduism) and also a symbol of plenty of and fortune (China) and, finally, the Fish is the symbol of Christ in early Christianity (as an acronym of Jesus Christ – the Son of God, Saviour).
The dynamism of the painting is observed both in the surface forms of the movement directed towards the tail and producing an illusion of soaring, moving waves and the inner effulgence of the Fish. The Fish's gaze is hypnotic, wise, mysterious. The silver bowl personifies the Origin in all religious beliefs – the Original Base – and is Purity Itself. The carpet symbolizes a mystic means of transportation from one place to another, from one dimension to another, here it is the symbol of uplift of Faith to the higher levels of Creation. The concept of vibrations of inner Light was applied here.
The Decline of Bab-il Tower
This painting is one of the most dynamic and expressive in the collection. To the basic plot of the painting is a well known biblical subject of the building of the tower in a ancient Babel and also of mixing of all languages and dispersion of people all over the world. This legend refers to the beginning of history not ealier than two thousand years B.C. For the sake of eternal glory and out of arrogance those people started building an enormous tower which was supposed to reach the Heaven which was a blasphemy in itself. But unexpectedly during the construction of the tower people began to speak different languages and because of this ceased to understand each other. The construction was stopped. In the Bible the Assyrian name ob Babel – "Bab-ilu" has been interpreted as Babilon i.e. " The Gates of the Gods". It also has the meaning "to mix up", "to confuse".
This subject is historical. The archeological excavations performed by R.Koldevei, A.Parro and others in the 19-th century confirm the construction of zikkurats – gigantic buildings for ritual and temple purposes- for supreme deity of Babel- God Marduk
The author decided to depict two powers- earthly and heavenly, human and divine. Despite of the fact that the tower is seen from above, it is huge by size but the whole colour range of the tower and near surroundings are in a silvery- grey shadow. The tower reminds us of the object which remained bound to earth. The tower symbolizes ascent, ambition, power, human pride, inapproachability and is also the symbol of axis between the Earth and the Heaven and the an arrogant effort of the human being to achieve the Heaven.
The main dominant in the painting is the Sunset. The Sun here is depicted as the symbol of creative energy as the most supreme deity (in Ancient Greece- it is Zeus's eye, in Iran- Ormuzd, in India- Varuna, Mohammed called the sun: "The eyes of Allah" it is the Light of Buddha, God –Father in Christianity, and Christ is "The sun of Truth"). Despite the Sunset the sun is the most active and dynamic part in the painting. Its rays permeate the tower. The rays are creative force , sanctity and spiritual enlightenment ,a creative energy, constructive power. The abundance of the clouds symbolizes the Divine Revelation. It is a manifestation of Divine Essence. At the foreground there is Rock. The Rock is a symbol of stability, permanence of power, it is an often used biblical metaphor of God. The fog covering the tower is a symbol of change, transformation and supernatural participation. The fog symbolizes uncertainty , a prelude to a revelation. It is not by accident that the creation of this painting coincides with the beginning of the third millennium, again reminding all the humanity that the earthly world will get transformed only through His Light which fills the whole Universe.
The Serenade of the Moon Enlightened
This work is unusual by its structure. At the first was the idea was to present a Family as one whole Nature. However, soon in the process of work the author's experiences gave him an impetus to give another heading to the painting – "A Serenade of the Moon Enlightened" – which was more appropriate to its deep and mystic contents.
The author particularly emphasized the upper part of the painting through light thereby transmitting the idea of soaring of the three figures. At the same time the elements of their attire are illuminated in such a way that it is possible to notice radiation of the light, which is one of the principles of the UNIVERSE. And finally the three most illuminated spots in the painting – the images of a woman, a man and a child – are triangulars turned upside down. It is one of the most powerful and universal symbols – the female symbol, the Moon Symbol, personifying great Mother, Divine Grace. The triangular also symbolizes God (Judaism, Christianity). Mysterious Moon light illuminates the three figures and their rich attire. The man is wearing a large diamond at the heart and it is a sign of immutability and wholeness, it is the image of Eternity of the Centre, or the Absolute. The figures are standing under an arch symbolizing the beginning of a new, spiritual stage of life. The subtlest transition from light to colour and vice versa produce the impression of a melody, a serenade in which the vibrations of light, colour and sound are united in mysterious Cosmic Harmony.
Sarasvati, New Moon Light
The idea of this painting manifested itself during the author's three-month stay in India. Sarasvati occupies one of the central places in Indian mythology. She is a goddess, Vishnu's spouse. It is believed that this image dates back to the ancient Aryans, migrants from Persia. The river Sarasvati is one of the most worshiped in India. Three hymns are dedicated to it. It is abundant, deep, swift, surpasses all waters in its grandeur and its waves can destroy mountain tops. The daughter of Lighting and Vishnu's spouse, Sarasvati, is the Mother of the East. Sarasvati pervades Space. She is called Divine. She personifies vitality and immortality. She is a patroness of arts, science and wisdom. In the painting she seems to hover above the waters and the heavens pervading the space. The crescent at the bottom of the painting is a sign of Divine patronage and it is also an ancient symbol of cosmic powers (Western Asia). In Egypt, the crescent is a sign of divine wholeness. In ancient Greece and Rome the goddesses of the Moon were decorated with the crescent in their hairdos as a sign of purity and divine origin.
On Sarasvati's breast in the heart region one can see a large pearl, a symbol of Light and mysteriousness. Its pale shining is associated with the Moon. The effulgent purity of pearls made them a symbol of spiritual wisdom and esoteric Knowledge. In ancient times pearls symbolized the union of Fire and Water. A pearl as a symbol of Divine Light is Shiva's Third Eye (Ajna), a metaphor of spiritual insight. In Islam, Pearl is one of God's names. In Daocism, it is a mystic focus. In Christianity, it is an invaluable Pearl of the waters of Baptism and a metaphor of Christ in the womb of His Mother, the Virgin. It is not by accident that in the rich spectrum these three main images are particularly emphasized with Light (Sarasvati's Face, the crescent and a pearl near the heart) as if reminding us of the Light of His Light in our hearts.
Judith with Olofern’s Head
It is a widely known subject from the Old Testament. In the world history of the fine arts Judith was depicted by P.Veronese, Titian, Lucas Cranach, Caravaggio, A.Magnasco and others. The main personage is Judith, a pious widow which saves her city from the Assyrian King Nebuchadnezzar's invasion. Olofern is the king's general. Olofern's troops maintain the siege of the city. There is no water in the city. Judith conceives a secret plan to go to Olofern and make him fall in love with her. Four days she spends at Olofern's takes him prisoner of her beauty and femininity. He forgets all his vigilance. After the feast Judith gives him soporific, he falls asleep and in the night she cuts his head off with his own sword. She leaves the camp of the enemies without being seeing by anybody. At dawn Olofern's head is put above the city wall and Nebuchadnezzar's troops make their run in panic.
In the painting we can see Judith with Olofern's head. The heroic deed has been performed. In spite of the dynamism of the outer world - night, marble pillars, the marble floor as if vibrating with light and finally Judith's dress in expressive flashes of the light,- the image of Judith is perfection itself: serene, she is proud of the action perfomed but that pride is for the people and the city saved by her. Her face is lighted at the maximum and resembles the shining of the Moon in the night. The White colour is the symbol of initiation and transition into a sublime spiritual state. Olofern's head is covered with shadow- it is the past, it is the dark - but for his dull eyes in which there is late realization of the woman's guile. The depth of the subject and the mysticism of the presentation are harmoniously interwoven and serve to remind us that Woman is a Mystery, which is infinite and eternal.