Spiritualism and the Agency of Séance Art: Creation, Revelation and Occultation

Exploring the importance of creation, revelation and occultation in séance art, this paper examines the ways in which Spiritualists utilised artistic agency and expression for spiritual-meaning making. Central to nineteenth-century Spiritualism was the belief that spirits of the dead make contact with the living, seeking to convey their messages of afterlife wisdom. One form of communication was to create paintings and drawings through artistic-mediumship during séances. Focusing on the creative processes of séance art, the revelation of the spirit world, and subsequently the concealment of the message in deliberate acts of occultation, I argue that séance art was affective for Spiritualism to compel viewers into belief and to situate the movement in the traditions of occultism that further enhanced its appeal.