Lost in Translation
Spirituality in Modern Art - The Immaterial Frame from Kandinsky to Motherwell - Jewell Homad Johnson
Jewell Homad Johnson [+ ]
University of Sydney
Dr Jewell Homad Johnson held a MA and PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Sydney. An exhibiting artist since 1982, Johnson’s academic work is informed by her art practice and experience as a director/scenographer in theatre, television, and film.
Description
Chapter Four investigates Kandinsky’s biographical records. Here, Jelena Hahl-Fontaine’s research provides invaluable insights regarding the difficulty in translating religious terminology and subjective meanings from one language to another (in this case, Kandinsky’s own Russian translation of his original German text). In translation, potent religious concepts can be rendered meaningless, their original connotations misconstrued by secular scholars reluctant to investigate the possibility of spiritual motivation and religious influence.