‘Explosions of Love’ is described as a personal modern interpretation of a journey through life, Assisi and beyond with St Francis and St. Clare. The first sentence of this handsomely illustrated book explains ‘….it envelops all of life. Life is like being in love all the time with all of God’s creation…..’ Everything after this sentence is a surprise, unexpected and original, yet expresses all the positives of human existence.
Lydia Corbett, a Subud artist, known in the art world for her beautiful paintings shows through her work how she finds understanding of the world of St. Francis and St Clare. Lydia’s paintings are said to possess a dream-like quality which abandon scale and perspective. Yet her work interweaves human subjects with animals, vegetables and minerals. Despite this formlessness of dimension, her drawings communicate clarity of vision.
In the many drawings and paintings, she not just images the experiences of the Life of Francis but ingests for herself the wisdom of his own discoveries on his path to love. As she visits the Basilicas, Churches, buildings and Assisi sites, her paintings illustrate the process Francis went through to find himself and his mission in life. Anne Ellison, a friend of Lydia, put words to these works which meditates on the human qualities of these two amazing people who were destined to become saints. Songs and poems by Lydia relating to Francis are included.
This book is dedicated to ‘being human’ which Lydia draws upon as a framework through illustrations and words. From reflections to joy, to directions to inspiration, to liberation, to benevolence, vision and rejoicing, the journey goes on. If these qualities were the steps taken by Francis to complete his humanitarian work, Lydia also has a deep sense of sharing and understanding.
It is claimed that colour and light flooded Lydia’s being as she interpreted her feelings through the medium of drawing, sketching and painting. With her good friend Anne Ellison, a wordsmith and osteopath, they have produced this wonderful book with their thoughts and feelings which Assisi has inspired in them.
Lydia was born in Paris. Her background is art, her mother being a painter and her father an influential gallery owner. In 1954, when she was 19 years old, she met the artist Picasso. I remember being told he was fascinated by her ponytail hairstyle, which was a new fashion then. He asked if he could sketch her. That meeting led to some 40 paintings of her by Picasso. She was known then as Sylvette. In fact, if you want to know more about Lydia’s other paintings, go to her website www.iwassylvette.com.
Lydia now lives in Devon and is a member of the South Devon Subud Group. She is represented by the Francis Kyle Gallery in London.
The Foreword is written by Martin Shaw, Bishop of Argyll and The Isles, Scotland, who accompanied Lydia and Anne on their pilgrimage to Assisi.
The book is available with a softcover or a hardcover and dust jacket.
Size: 17cm x 17cm. To order go on to Lydia’s website Shop page here.
Katharine
