Art Exhibit: Sehnsucht by Julia Kulish

Overview

"Much of my work is created out of an overflow of the thoughts churning in my mind as I stand before the easel with brush in hand. Musical lyrics, prayers, and books that I am reading all find their way into every brushstroke on the canvas. Those thoughts are just as much a part of a piece as the paint itself, and therefore, often find their place as titles of my paintings.

“Sehnsucht” ( zeen- zookt) is a series of paintings born out of spending time in the writings of one of my favorite authors, CS Lewis. Lewis explored the idea of humankind’s spiritual hunger and a shared experience described as, “sehnsucht” , a German word used by many poets and writers of the Romantic era to describe a profound, yet fleeting longing for something we can’t explain, but know that it is beyond anything we will find in this world.

In Lewis’ thinking, we many times have these ‘glimpses of glory” when we experience beauty through art, music, and nature. These become messengers to remind us of the greater purpose we were created for. He would say that this is what we mean when feel art “speaking to our souls”. Lewis saw art, music, nature, as often transcendent, pointing to something beyond itself -messengers of the Creator of all things beautiful.

“These ( the beauty of art, music, nature) are a scent of a flower we have not yet found, the echo of a tune we have not yet heard, news from a country we have never yet visited. “ - CS Lewis