arts & ideas
Elisabeth de Bruyne: An Introduction to the Artist, Her Books, and a “High” School of Painting by Pamela Sophiajohn The first time I saw “Fragrant Rose” (at center), I immediately heard these words from Rudolf Steiner in my inner ear: “More radiant than the sun, purer than the snow, finer than the ether...” At that time, the online photo of the painting did not have a title, and Elisabeth de Bruyne was not credited as the artist. Also, I had no artistic practice or knowledge of anthroposophical arts. However, I recognized one profound connection between Steiner’s poetic words and Elisabeth’s painting: both lifted my soul toward the spiritual. Steiner’s words pointed me toward the ineffable experience of The Spirit within – our True Self. Elisabeth’s painting evoked a threshold-feeling with a rose and its essence emerging out of the invisible. Although all art indeed holds meaning, I later came to understand that this inner soul movement towards the threshold of the spirit is a defining element of true art, as described in Rudolf Steiner’s The Arts and Their Mission (GA 276) and, more recently, the books of Elisabeth de Bruyne, which are listed at the end of this article. Elisabeth de Bruyne’s books are devoted to the art of “Light-Darkness Painting” developed by Liane Collot d’Herbois, also known as the “Collot Method of Painting.” Born in 1938, Elisabeth was one of the first painters to study with d’Herbois, and she also became one of the first in 1993 to start a school devoted to this new approach to painting, an initiative begun upon the wish of her teacher. To the best of her knowledge, Elisabeth is the only person to have a school devoted to the artistic
side of painting taught by d’Herbois (in contrast to the therapeutic side). Margaretha Hauschka, who researched the therapeutic nature of colour with Dr. Ita Wegman and Liane Collot d’Herbois in the 1940s, called the “Collot” approach a “high” school of painting, which is sometimes referred to as a “School of High Art.” For those who seek to study this high school of Light-Darkness Painting, Elisabeth’s books provide essential instruction and insight into colour and colour movements. Equally important, her books reveal some of the challenges and turning points in her journey towards making this art of painting her own and how she developed it further. For this article, three key topics are highlighted to demonstrate how her books can support artists interested in this school of painting. I. Correcting Exercises Mistakenly Described in Light, Darkness and Colour in PaintingTherapy Although Light, Darkness and Colour in Painting-Therapy was published under the name of Liane Collot d’Herbois in 1988, she did not actually write or edit it. Instead, Margreet Meijer independently produced the book from lecture recordings and personal notes she took from the class she attended. Unfortunately, d’Herbois found many exercises confusing, primarily because they do not accurately reflect the laws of light and darkness and the colour movements. Elisabeth wrote Exercises for the Painting of the Colour-Movements After Liane Collot d’Herbois to correct these mistakes and support the integrity of this school. In her own words, “It is very important that the exercises of Liane Collot d’Herbois spring | summer 2024
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