Chapter 5 Lungs

Dissecting The Western Woman Artist; An Artist's Dialogue by Amy E. Fraser

Chapter 5 Lungs

Breathing From The Artist's Soul  

Internal Examination

     After exhausting all of the possible causes of Amy E. Fraser's art in the external examination, this investigator must initiate an internal examination, beginning with a Y incision. In this case, the Y incision will be diverted beneath the breasts because the subject is female. With the Y incision made, the skin, muscle, and soft tissues are pulled from the chest wall. The chest flap is pulled upward over the subject's face; the front of the rib cage and the strap muscles of the neck are exposed. An electric saw is used to open her rib cage. The chest plate is removed and the organs of the chest are exposed and ready for examination.

     The first chest organ examined in the internal exam is the lungs. The subject's lungs appear pink and healthy, free from any areas of pneumonia and other abnormalities. A further dissection reveals another probable cause of Amy E. Fraser's art.

Physiological And Cultural Aspects Of The Lungs

     The dictionary defines the lungs as the two sac-like respiratory organs in the thorax of humans and other air breathing vertebrates. The respiratory system supplies the oxygen needed by body cells and carries off their carbon dioxide waste. Inhaled air passes via the windpipe through the bronchi to the lungs. Intercostal rib muscles and the muscular diaphragm below the lungs operate the lungs like bellows, drawing air in and forcing it out at regular intervals in the action we refer to as breathing.

     Autopsy concluded that the subject's lungs contain the concepts of soul, spirituality and psyche. One significant finding of this investigation concerns Western culture's metaphorical relationship to breathing, as well as an interesting historical association between the spirit and breath. In general, when we refer to breathing, the act of inhaling, exhaling and drawing in air, is being described. However, some use the word breath to describe a whisper, a murmur or an utterance. Many in Western culture associate breath with the notion of a vital spirit, divine spark, soul, life force, and source of vitalization.

Western Perspectives On The Soul And Spirit

     Western culture defines the soul as the principle of life, feeling, thought and action in humans. It is regarded as a distinct entity separate from the body. The soul is the spiritual part of humans. To refer to one's soul, we are often implying that individual has courage or integrity. Soul is also defined as deeply felt emotion conveyed by a performer or artist. The spirit is similarly defined. It is considered to be the animating principle of life. The spirit is also the incorporeal aspect of humans or an aspect of this, as in the mind or soul.

     One reason we associate the lungs with the soul, spirit and afterlife is because we often imagine one's body parts in relation to an illness or failure of the body part to function. We fear for the lung's fragile existence and worry about their demise. We are conscious of the fact that if we stop breathing, we stop living.

     Ancient people believed that the soul could escape from the body with their last dying breath. They believed this aspect of their being could travel among the living, unembodied and invisible to all except innocent children, animals and the mentally insane. Many people of Western culture still believe in a link between the spiritual and supernatural and a hidden, or invisible unconscious self that escapes after the body's death. The roots of modern day psychology are deeply entangled in these ancient beliefs. In fact, the word psychology originally meant 'the study of the soul'.

     In Western culture, when we say a person has soul, we are referring to someone who feels his or her physical and emotional being very deeply. We are referring to aspects of the heart and the brain as well as the lungs' capacity for breath and spirit. Having soul is difficult to define because it is inner knowledge that literally cannot be expressed in words. Images can touch upon the spirit, soul, or psyche's essence, but can only translate the spiritual presence in the image's creator. The soul, like the air we breathe, is difficult to define but vital to our existence and important to our concept of humanity.

     Many envision the soul as pure air. God and the Holy Spirit have long been associated with wind and the 'breath of life'. Westerners imagine this aspect of ourselves to be intangible, spiritual and unobtainable. Like air, the soul represents a cleanliness, purity and freedom. The soul, like air, cannot be portioned off or contained; it is not earthly or physical.

     Traditionally, in Western culture, female spirituality has been embodied in the flesh. Men have been associated with the duality of mind and body separation. Male spirituality was viewed as unobtainable and perfect, Godlike and superhuman. For women, the body and spirit have always been one. Since ancient times, women's creative power and spirit were embodied in a multitude of female figurines that emphasized the magical qualities of the breasts, abdomen, hips and vagina. I believe that womens' culturally designated (embodied) spirituality is much more obtainable and realistic than what is generally expected of men. In many ways, women are allowed the freedom to be more spiritual because of lower cultural expectations.

 Art As Religion

     If I were to compare an aspect of my life to religious worship, I would have to point to my life-long dedication to the growth of my art. Art has always been a part of my life. The way I think, see, hear, smell and breathe has to do with my artistic faith and spirituality. To me, art is like religion because much of what I receive from the process is indescribable, emotional and religious in essence. Art has always been sacred to me. It is a place of freedom, expression, clarity and serenity. When I create, it is how I imagine others feel in prayer. I receive feelings of purity, wholeness and peace. Like prayer, the process of creation provides an outlet for my anger, aggression and sadness. Art is the time I set aside for worship and meditation. It is where I go to get in touch with my soul and unveil my true inner self that most call their spirit. However, unlike traditional religion, art has no real restrictions, guilt, limits or rules. Like religion, one has to have complete dedication and commitment and be willing to make many personal sacrifices to obtain artistic greatness.

Searching For Humanity

     The search for the soul, psyche or spirit is, for many, a self-conscious or latent desire to belong to a meaningful whole in a world void of divine presence. I believe we are our own divinity; our spirits, souls and psyches are just some of the many aspects of our embodiment. If this is the case, then we should put a higher value on human qualities, such as one's individuality and uniqueness. We should not believe in sin or punishment over human wants and desires unless they harm others. We should focus on self respect, gaining a sense of honor, pride and self esteem.

Depicting The Human Soul

I believe images and symbols are actually bodily feelings and experiences expressed pictorially. I do not believe that symbols such as the cross or the pentagram derive from magical or disembodied forces such as gods, Satan, aliens or superhumans. It is my opinion that when we study art, we unveil the workings of that artist's soul, psyche and bodily experiences. In addition, the fact that many of these images and symbols are universal indicates that we share the same experiences because of our embodiment. All conceptions of the soul are grounded in bodily experience.

Breathing From The Artist's Soul 

     I view creativity as similar to the process of breathing. The body breathes in oxygen and breathes out carbon dioxide in the same way I conceptually breathe in the positive benefits of creating and am able to release the negative aspects of my life into that creation. I believe this is how the artist's soul becomes infused into the art.

     Spirit is all throughout my works. However, it's exact representation cannot be defined through color, texture, medium, gesture or subject matter. Like the air we breathe yet cannot see, spirit is there. Spirit is felt, needed and necessary to each work but it is impossible to objectify. It is the life essence within each painting that cannot be explained. It is a glimpse into the soul of the artist; a voice, a sensation, a whispered breath that cannot be contained.

     All of my works depict women of spirit. The images are of strong, self reliant women who manifest the powers of goddesses. As such, they are created with presence and the strength of character to be leaders, prophets, pioneers, priestesses, mothers, lovers, heroes or friends. These women represent courage, integrity, purity and freedom. Their image inspires awe and respect for woman and nature. These women are wise, worldly, creative, sexual and beautiful. They are who we all are inside.

     Through my works I hope to encourage women to see that gods and goddesses do not rule the world, but are the world, manifest in each of us. My images return to the perceptions of our ancient ancestors when humans were worthwhile, when our bodies were sacred and the changing phases of our lives were holy. Our emotions, thoughts, feelings and desires are acceptable. Anger is purifying, aggression is healthy, and the need to nurture, create, love, limit or destroy is necessary. Like the soul, spirit or psyche, these aspects of our embodiment are sacred because they are the very force that sustains life.

 Lung Symbolized

     One aspect of my works that alludes to soul or spirit is the atmospheric conditions and setting. The works hint to vague locations such as the ocean, space, dessert, forest or caves, without literally defining a particular place. The environments are intangible and unearthly, like dreamscapes or memories. This serves the purpose of creating a new world where the viewer is free from any real world limits or expectations and is encouraged to draw from his or her own experiences and imagination. I believe the process of introspection can be spiritual; the more a viewer participates in defining a work, the more they may discover about themselves.

     One symbol I use to represent concepts vested in lung is the bird. An example of this is the painting Guardians, which contains 3 vulture-like birds. These creatures are the animal manifestations of woman's spirit. In this particular piece the birds represent the death aspect of the life and death cycle. Notice the women are in similar hunched positions. Their images are interchangeable.

     In traditional Celtic folklore, birds were believed to have the ability to bestow the powers of spirit flight. In the shape of her totem bird, woman possessed the cunning of the hunter, the gift of far seeing, and the ability to journey into the lands of the Otherworld, undetected. Various aspects of woman's spirit are represented by different birds. For example, hawks represent woman's ability for clairvoyance. Crows symbolize souls geared toward disruption and disharmony; swans express spirits filled with love, innocence and purity; seagulls represent spirits that are able to predict weather; cranes are guardians of the underworld; storks are souls who bring forth new life; vultures and buzzards are harbingers of death; owls represent the souls of those in mourning and in ruin. Conversely, the owl also positively represents the spirit of the moon and the Otherworld.

     I believe all of these birds represent spiritual symbols and archetypes that are deeply embedded in our collective unconscious. From the beginning of time, humans have been fascinated with a bird's natural ability for flight. Humans have envied and fantasized about the bird's life spent in the heavens, as we are restricted to our earthly existence. This may explain why birds are commonly used religious icons and the source of many superstitions.

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      For more Art and Information on Amy E. Fraser go to Aefraser.com All images and text from "Dissecting The Western Woman Artist: An Artist's Dialogue" copyright Amy E. Fraser. All rights reserved. Amy E. Fraser's Master's Thesis. Original Publication by Dartmouth College 2000.