What is integral art?

Image above referenced from; http://s3.amazonaws.com/integral-life-art/Mareydt/images/TimeSpent.jpg

reference (text) taken from
http://integrallife.com/art-galleries/whats-so-special-about-integral-art
video on page, speech by Michael Schwartz

Written by Corey W. deVos

What is Integral Art? This has been an ongoing discussion within the integral community for many years now. The past decade has certainly seen an explosion of stunning and undeniably cutting edge works from integrally-informed artists (most notably through our monthly Integral Life Art Galleries and exclusive Integral Post offerings). And of course Ken Wilber has spent countless hours musing on the subject, providing us with an enormous wealth of knowledge about creativity, art interpretation, art history, and the role of the artist, helping us all better understand the world of integral art and aesthetics while bringing us ever closer to the sublime beauty that we are forever surrounded by.

Still, as Ken himself would admit, the attempt to actually come up with a simple, practical, all-encompassing definition for “integral art” has been difficult. In many ways, we seem to be stuck with a slightly more sophisticated version of “well, you know it when you see it….”

Which means that, as of now, integral art is defined pretty much the same way as pornography. But hey, at least it’s a start.

Fortunately, we also have Michael Schwartz to help us move the conversation forward. Michael, who you may already know as the curator of our Integral Life Art Galleries, has done an astounding job of wrapping an intellectual framework around each of these beautiful collections—helping us to see, experience, and engage with each gallery in a much deeper and more conscious way.

Which is why we asked Michael to present on the very first night of our 2011/2012 Integral Spiritual Experience event—so he could help point to some of the actual properties, qualities, and characteristics of this new phase of artistry that is now coming online, contributing his own intellectual rigor and aesthetic expertise to a week already overflowing with creative inspiration and heartfelt connection.

While Michael is certainly helping us move the discussions around Integral Art forward, this is by no means the final word on the matter. The definition of “integral art” is still coming into focus for all of us, just as the unique sounds and visions from integral artists all around the world continue to emerge and spill into the integral space.

My breakdown;

– Modern colour theory, light and tonal using  using an accumulated and extended range of material and mediums.
– Philosophy of art
– Theory of art and post-modernism and the meaning behind colours and their representations.