The Mandalas of Lynn Behrendt
Psychologist Carl Jung, whose curiosity was both iconoclastic and far-reaching, developed an interest in mandalas. He encouraged his patients to create them and he himself made numerous striking ones.
Jung thought of mandalas as graphic representations of the center or Self. By creating them, a person could see where they are in a most primal way. I am being extremely brief here; my task is to look at some mandalas made by artist/poet Lynn Behrendt.
Like many Facebook Friends, Lynn and I hardly know each other. I saw her read at a mass poetry reading, and thus we connected. Her mandalas (and other artwork) began to show up in my Facebook feed and I took an interest.
Lynn Behrendt’s mandalas betray a curious drama. I believe she creates them on the computer, with Photoshop or whatever. She places unusual images within the borders of her mandalas. The images do not necessarily bow to ready explanation.
In this one, titled “May 30th Mandala” on Lynn’s blog, the border seems vegetal, the tendrils root-like. The red and yellow bits to me resemble petals. The black background suggests the dark earth whence the seeds of life grow. I mean this not as explanation, but how the mandala feels to me.
The scene within—the center—is gaily odd. Even tho the figures may be carrying a casket, a lively energy seems evident. That lead fellow with flambeau a-flame looks pretty excited. Could be a samurai or two in there with the peasants. Life amidst death, maybe? I don’t know where Lynn got this image, whether she found it or made it herself (it doesn’t matter). Each person stands distinct and individual. The groping tendrils have their own program.
“Mandala June 1” more clearly expresses somberness.
The outer border again features tendril-like elements. A gold border around the central image seems formal, like a painting’s gold frame. The creepy medieval scene within invites inference:
A languishing, possibly dead monk is held from behind by another monk. A concerned monk in front ministers to the fallen one. Maybe physically, maybe last rites. Yet another monk stands by a column. He looks more concerned than skulking. I thought at first that the figure to the left, with hands clasped in prayer, might be the abbot, but now I think the one on the left is. An air of medieval gravity suffuses the scene.
Of course I’m just winging it here.
“Mandala June 5” might portray the birth of Christ. Well, sort of.
In this one, the border suggests to me a roman rotunda. Like, from below, see? It looks more stern and formal than the borders of the previous mandalas. The centering image shows a child amidst his mother’s robes. The mother’s expression is either overwrought or even angry. Monks in white and a bishop kneel and look prayerful. A bearded man stands above the woman. I believe he has an extra hand.
I mentioned the birth of Christ above but obviously this isn’t a birth scene. And yet the actors are all there: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, wisemen, and angels. Yeah, it is weird. The juxtaposition rattles me a bit. The medieval church with its severing intensity presses mystery plays to crazy lengths.
One more, “Mandala june 8”.
In this one, the elements all seem to float discretely in space. Again, the bordering elements look petal-like. Within, a burningly red person on a red mat kneels in a fetal crouch. The figure is bound in bandages. The person could be meditating. If so, it is a meditation on pain. The person seems to clutch the pain, like maybe too much. Such can be grief, or any emotion.
I mentioned how Carl Jung used mandalas therapeutically. Obviously some cathartic release occurs in these works, but not just that. And I should repeat that my interpretations here simply posit the feelings engendered in me by the images.
If I should mutter the phrase “art for art’s sake” now, I mean that the work must have a competent fullness before it can do anything else. I think these images that Lynn has created help reconcile emotional energies in the artist. Why not? But the images also learn from their own release. We who view them, including the artist herself, receive that energy of release. The pleasure of seeing the work remains. I have enjoyed viewing these works.
Note: I'm finding that Mandala Web works better as seen thru Google Chrome. Larger versions of these images, and more, can be seen at the artist’s blog. I invite you to click the link: http://lynnbehrendt.blogspot.com/