THOUGHTS ARE FREE

Description

THOUGHTS ARE FREE

by

SIGGI LIEB-WIDMANN

This book is a collection of Siggi Lieb-Widmann’s illumination and calligraphy. The texts are proverbs, aphorisms and poems (many in free verse) written by writers, poets, thinkers and philosophers. Many poems are by Siggi herself. The book has 424 pages. Each of the 206 works of art is accompanied by an essay, often comprising of a mini biography for each writer and a brief description of the text each writer has composed.

Siggi is primarily an artist, with a strong leaning towards literature and philosophy. The subject matter of the texts she has selected is broad and the writers come from all walks of life and from many ages. For example: Sir John Betjeman, Ludwig van Beethoven, Berthold Brecht, Charles Dickens, Albert Einstein, Johann Hebel, Heinrich Heine, Nâzim Hikmet, John Keats, Francis Keene, Omar Khayam, Henry Longfellow, Mary Queen of Scots, Thomas Mann, Exile Literature, Lt. Col. John McCrae, Michelangelo, Erich Mühsam, Arthur Schopenhauer, Else Rüthel-Schaber, Madeleine de Scudéry, William Shakespeare, Friedrich von Schiller, Augustin Souchy, Dylan Thomas, Oscar Wilde, Sir Christopher Wren, Stefan Zweig, and a Sioux Indian Prayer.

Also featured is a special series of illuminations called The Nine Holes of the Links of St. Andrews. The topic is golf and the nine stanzas were written by three highly respected prominent nineteenth century Scottish figures: Robert Chambers Snr., Patrick Proctor Alexander and Robert Chambers Jnr. The nine illuminations were exhibited in The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and at Open Championships and major golf tournaments in England and Scotland.

Each text in this book, in its way, forms part of a study of thoughts, experiences and observations. The substance of the texts is diverse, ranging from philosophical to enjoyment to deeply personal and thoughtful, as might be experienced in life. As the title “THOUGHTS ARE FREE” suggests, thoughts are our last refuge. Thoughts are spontaneous and unrestricted and no one can ever take them from us.

Siggi’s unique style of illumination features the harmony and contrast of colours, often mixed, which create vibrant images and translucent effects on a variety of materials. Geometric shapes frequently form part of the designs, often appearing as lineal patterns, which occasionally appear as an overlay to a backdrop of glowing colours which come alive with light, giving visual depth to the illumination. Images of symbolic significance, silhouettes and historical theatrical scenes also feature. Many have harmoniously blended and elaborately illuminated beautiful borders. Overall, the sizes of the images vary, for example, from 12 cm x 8 cm to 49 cm x 29 cm to 50 cm x 30 cm up to 84 cm x 46 cm. Siggi’s exhibitions include the Mall Galleries, London, the Salon Beaumarchais, Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, Monaco and La Manga Club, Spain.