Event 3: Alchemy + Art by Ann Mccoy

Today, I attended Ann Mccoy’s “Alchemy + Art” presentation. Contrary to the other events, I was afforded the opportunity to interact with the lecturer before the actual event began due to a scheduling error. I must admit, I was shocked to learn that she was a professor at Yale, which was my dream university (before UCLA of course).

Figure 1. Proof of attendance.

The presentation was unlike any other in that it encompassed religion and spirituality, which, according to Vesna, is almost a taboo in academia. I would agree seeing as how religion is often disregarded as peripheral to the overall goals of academia. One such example is the hit TV show Big Bang Theory featuring Sheldon Cooper. Played by Jim Parsons, Sheldon is depicted as a quirky, arrogant, annoying, but nonetheless highly intelligent Caltech physicist who has many a time shown a distaste for religion despite a deeply religious mother.

Yet, when Ann explains the connection, it almost invalidates Sheldon’s argument. For instance, Mccoy mentioned that while abroad, she worked alongside “dream-healer”, who essentially cured ailments by tapping into peoples’ subconsciouses. People from around the world would seek his assistance to heal themselves of certain issues that medicine failed, to which he used alchemy and their consciousness. One woman with a skin condition was cured of said condition by reflecting on her psychology and potential issues from within.

Figure 2. Ann Mccoy, Psychic world, 2022.

Dreams were no doubt a motif during this presentation. Most of Ann’s paintings stem from her experience and dreams, and the one that stood out most to me was the paint “Mad Mother Realm”. When her mother died, Ann went into a state of shock and created an art collection on the subject of madness. This painting was pretty scary as it incorporated scary imagery including spiders and blood. In spite of this, I found that the image allowed her to put her feelings into work, as in the case of artists alike. It’s quite brave and inspiring that she doesn’t hide the fact that she was broken, and instead presents reality through her macabre artwork.

Figure 3. Ann Mccoy, Mad Mother Realm, 2022.

Overall, I like that Ann managed to capture more than just fundamental emotion, especially since her work is based on personal experience that effectively tells a story and immortalizes a large part of her legacy. I hope to one day do the same!

Works Cited

Anapur, Eli. “The Fascination with Alchemy in Art.” Widewalls, 2 Jan. 2017, https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/alchemy-in-art.

Bernard, Daisy. “How Art History's Most Macabre Genre Conveys Optimism.” MutualArt, 26 Oct. 2018, https://www.mutualart.com/Article/How-Art-History-s-Most-Macabre-Genre-Car/A57B018677AAF14D.

DeSantis, Cole. “The Philosophy of Young Sheldon.” Pop Culture and Theology, 5 Mar. 2018, https://popularcultureandtheology.com/2018/03/05/the-philosophy-of-young-sheldon/.

Mccoy, Ann. "Alchemy + Art" Zoom, uploaded by Art | Sci Center, 14 Apr. 2022, https://vimeo.com/696302549

Read, John. “Alchemy and Art.” Nature, vol. 169, no. 4299, 1952, pp. 479–481., https://doi.org/10.1038/169479a0.

Snow, C. P. The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution. Cambridge University Press, 1959.

Timmermann, Anke. “Art and Alchemy: The Mystery of Transformation.” Renaissance Studies, vol. 29, no. 3, 2014, pp. 459–465., https://doi.org/10.1111/rest.12101.

Vesna, Victoria. “Toward a Third Culture: Being in Between.” Leonardo, vol. 34, no. 2, 2001, pp. 121–125., https://doi.org/10.1162/002409401750184672.

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