Vedic Art
About Vedic Art
Vedic Art® was founded by Swedish artist Curt Källman (1938-2010). The seed of Vedic Art was sown many years ago when Curt began his inner journey to find an effortless and free way to express himself on canvas.
An important part of the method are ‘The 17 Vedic Principles of Art and Life’. Curt learned the names of the Principles in 1974 from renowned Indian meditation teacher Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1918-2008). The principles were passed down orally from master to student for many generations. They are derived from the Vedas, ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism.
The word ‘Vedic’ comes from the Indian Sanskrit ‘Veda’ meaning knowledge or wisdom. The fundamental vision of Vedic Art is that we all carry great creative power and wisdom within us from birth. Painting is an important tool to unfold these inner resources so that they can be used holistically in life and art.
Curt began by living the 17 principles in his work as a painter, integrating them into his own work and meditation with them. This process of integration lasted for 14 years. During this period, he developed the content and pedagogical approach of the Vedic Art method which was completed in 1988.
The 17 principles
The 17 principles are at the heart of Vedic Art. The creative exercises in the foundation course follow these principles and ‘open’ our inner wisdom. They are designed to connect our artistic freedom, the creative process and our human life. The link between the creative process, life and personal development are all part of the essence of Vedic Art.
It becomes a deeply personal encounter between us as creators and our creations. The principles are often described as a map or a compass on the journey towards our own creative expression. Vedic Art assumes that anyone can create, we only need to “remember” how. Everything is already within us. Following the Vedic tradition, the 17 principles can only be passed on orally - from heart to heart.
Freedom in creative expression
The Vedic Art method is not a painting style, it is here to help us discover our own personal expression. Without any judgement and expectation, we can develop at our own pace and find our own way to connect with the creative process. We can come to a course without ever having held a brush before and we discover that we can really express ourselves!
