Cecil Collins

Subtitled 'the artist as writer and image maker', this short and fully illustrated book introduces the work of Cecil Collins (1908-1989) as one of the great visionary painters in the English mystical tradition. Collins believed that the true aim of art is to facilitate the spiritual impulse of the soul towards divine unity, hence his insistence that art is metaphysical, a contention which is also reflected in his poetry. The last chapter by Collins himself is entitled 'the anatomy of the fool', and provides a penetrating critique of modern times, reminding us that 'the only real progress is growth in wisdom.' This means that science is not wisdom, which in turn leads to the reflection that power in hands other than wisdom is destructive. The fool, says Collins, is the servant of the heart, which is the essential expression of life, and this can be more adequately expressed in paintings than words.