Communing, Becoming, Creating: Joséphin Péladans
‘Kaloprosopia’ and its Lived Experience
Figure 1 Carlos Schwabe. Poster pour la premier Salon
de la Rose-Croix, 1892, 177 x 81cm. Mixed technique on
paper. Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Rio de Janeiro.
Camille Brijer
Prof. Dr. Gerard Wiegers, Religious Experience
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
Introduction
The Parisian symbolist salons of Joséphin Péladan (1858-1918) during the fin-de-siècle
constituted a project that not only showcased the divinity of art, but also the divinity of the
artist. It was Péladans belief and dogma that one ought to ‘live a life as a work of art’ in order
to transform themselves, a process dubbed kaloprosopia.1 He thus suggested that all those
seeking to live a life of divinity become an artist of the self. And the role of artist held great
reverence in Péladans eyes: “Artiste, tu es prêtre: l’Art est le grand mystère et, lorsque ton
effort aboutit ou chef-d’oeuvre, un rayon du divin descend comme sur un autel,” he wrote in
1894.2 His doctrines are generally well-known, not least because of his extensive writings on
them in the shape of ‘doctrines’ for his own mystical Ordre de la Rose-Croix et du Graal. But
the implications of this doctrine are generally reduced to an undercurrent of much academic
writing on Péladan. One such implication is the inherent striving towards the transformation
into something other than ‘human’ as we know it, something divine, perhaps. This
transformation was first physical, but foremost spiritual. Péladan disregarded much of the
‘practical’ magics of contemporaries such as Gérard Encausse (pseud. Papus, 1865-1916) and
Stanislas de Guïata (1861-1897), even abandoning the two after establishing l’Ordre de la
Rose-Croix Kabbalistique together, over a conflict regarding practical magic. His mystical
focus was kaloprosopia, self-transformation through an ‘art of personality.’
This paper will approach this self-transformational process through the lens of
religious experience. It interprets Péladans salons, showcasing a Wagnerian Totalkunst, as
intended to inspire the masses to engage in an experience of a religious nature which Péladan
believed he himself was experiencing – an ascent into artistic divinity. The nature of this
ascent has not yet been studied in detail. It is as of yet uncertain whether Péladans
kaloprosopia was intended to make one divine, allow one to interact with the divine, or
essentially create the divine, because the implications of Péladans rewriting of Genesis have
not been placed critically assessed thus far. To determine this, the present study will use a
range of primary sources and secondary sources.3 These sources will establish an approach
which aims to construct a profile of what Péladan believed his transformational doctrine
1
Sasha Chaitow, “How to Become a Mage (or Fairy): Joséphin Péladans Initiation for the Masses,” The
Pomegranate 14:2 (2012): 185.
2
Joséphin Péladan, L’art idéaliste et mystique: doctrine de l’Ordre et du salon annuel des Roses-Croix (Paris:
Chamuel, 1894): 17.
3
The most notable of these sources include: Ibid., Péladan, Comment on Devient Mage (Parijs: Chamuel, 1892);
Comment on Devient Fée (Parijs: Chamuel, 1893); “L’Esthetique à l’exposition Nationale Des Beux-Arts (3 e et
Dernier Article),” L’Artiste (December, 1883).
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Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
entailed, and what these beliefs tell us about the nature and workings of the divine in this
doctrine.4 After establishing this profile, it will be argued that the experience advocated by
Péladan was inherently an experience of the divine in several ways.
The paper will highlight the distinctiveness of Péladans approach to unio mystica:
union with the divine. Through this analysis, the study will shed light on the nuanced and
often overlooked spiritual dimensions of Péladans artistic and mystical pursuits. In doing so, it
will contribute to a deeper understanding of the fin-de-siècle cultural landscape and the
diverse ways in which individuals sought to reconcile art, spirituality, and personal
transformation.
4
Secondary sources are plentiful, they include: Christophe Beaufils, Joséphin Péladan (1858-1918): essai sur
une maladie du lyrisme (Grenoble: Editions Jérôme Millon, 1993); Laurinda S. Dixon, ‘Mystical Symbolism:
The Salon de la Rose-Croix in Paris, 1892-1897,’ Nineteenth Century Art Worldwide 16, no. 2 (2017): 199-209;
Ben Fisher, “From the Sphinx to Pisa: Reconciling Two Faces of Péladan.” The Modern Language Review 102,
nr. 1 (2007): 74–88; Paul Monaghan, “Péladan’s Symbolist “Prométhéide” and the Transformation of the World
in “Fin De Siècle” Paris,” Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, nr. 126 (2013): 401–14; Mary Slavkin.
“Dynamics and Divisions of the Salons of the Rose-Croix: Statistics, Aesthetic Theories, Practices, and
Subjects,” (PhD diss., City University of New York, 2014); Robert Ziegler, Satanism, Magic and Mysticism in
Fin-de-Siècle France (Montana: Springer, 2012).
2
Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
Origins and Dogmas of the Order
Péladan was born the son of Catholic lawyer and dramaturge Louis-Alexandre Péladan and
Caroline Hilaire Péladan. Influenced by both parents’ personal creative and religious tastes, he
had shown interest in art and literature from a young age, beginning his career as a writer and
art critic in his twenties before he developed his mystical and religious pursuits. Péladans
career as an author of fiction gained traction when he made his first publications of La
Décadence Latine starting in 1884, a series of twenty-one books detailing through fictional
narrative the supposed vices and decadence of the ‘Latin’ race and society of his own time. 5 It
was around this time that Péladan began to associate with the artistic and occult circles of
Paris, which was a broad network including such figures as J.K. Huysmans, De Guïata, and
Papus. In 1888 he established l’Ordre kabbalistique de la Rose-Croix with De Guïata and
Papus, but only two years later he left and founded his own l’ordre de la Rose-Croix et du
Graal (R+C).6 His order was preoccupied with the ‘Catholic Occult’ more so than the
kabbalistic occult and other proponents of more practical magic such as magnetism, though it
was no less esoteric in nature. Its organizational structure reinforced a hierarchy of initiation,
and from the very beginning communicated its teachings through the Salons de la Rose-Croix,
which were established in 1892 and held annual salons until 1897. 7 It was at these salons that
Péladans written teachings were expressed, but these were not without rules and regulations.
The R+C had a number of documents detailing its dogmas and values, as did the salons.
These were structured around Péladans personal cosmology, which will be explained
presently.
According to Péladan, humankind was not created by God but by angels who traced
their own shadows. Mankind was originally androgynous in nature, but the angels’ love for
their creation moved them to bestow upon it self-awareness and free will, which subsequently
created curiosity. This creation of humans and the “breaking of the natural order” were headed
by Lucifer, who takes on a considerably less malevolent role in Péladans cosmology. Sasha
Chaitow describes that, to prevent the “breaking of the natural order,” the Demiurge of
Péladans cosmology, Ioah Elohim, “rent the androgyne into the two sexes […], made them
mortal, and gave them free will.”8 The division of the sexes also divided the essence of
5
Beaufils, Joséphin Péladan, 82.
6
Ziegler, Satanism, Magic and Mysticism, 113.
7
Dixon, ‘Mystical Symbolism,’ 201.
8
Sasha Chaitow, ‘Hidden in Plain Sight: Joséphin Péladans Religion of Art,’ (2014), 144; Joséphin Péladan,
Comment ont devient fée (Paris: Chamuel, 1892): 34-35.
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humankind, consisting of Neschamach (Spirit), Ruach (Soul), and Nephesh (Corporeality).
While the man contains all of Neschamach, part of Ruach, and part of Nephesh, the woman
does not possess Neschamach, instead possessing greater Ruach. This is why Péladan
considers the woman to be more in touch with her emotions and intuition, while only the man
has the true ability to reach spiritual immortality. 9 The redemption of this dyadic state can be
reached through the unification of man and woman after the cultivation of their respective
Neschamach/Ruach/Nephesh. When both have become perfect in these, metaphysical and
erotic unity can be achieved and consequently immortality and enlightenment is reached. 10
The cultivation of these properties is not possible for all, however, and Péladan traces a clear
process of cultivation along seven stages taught within his Order:
The first of the seven stages is that of the Neophyte, where Péladan sought to empower the
reader to seek and express their individualism according to their own true will. The
second, simply entitled ‘Society’, calls on the initiate to forswear all societal strictures and
façades. The third, ‘Rules of Socialisation’, stresses the need for compassion and
intellectual cultivation. The fourth, ‘Orientation’, deals with letting go of regrets and
errors of the past. The fifth, ‘Of Magical Power’, deals with forgiveness and merciful
justice towards others as well as the self. The sixth, ‘Of Love’, is aimed at the initiate who
has successfully developed the foregoing aspects of his character and is fit to join in love
with an equally evolved woman. The last, ‘Self-teaching’, considers the initiate to be in a
state of sufficient self-knowledge whereby with wisdom and compassion they may
express their individuality in the world and share the idea with others.11
This path could only be walked by the so-called ‘animiques’ – those sensitive to the beauty of
art – and the intellectuals, not the ‘consummate fools,’ as Péladan called those whom he
believed to be unable to reach sufficient understanding of his Holy Trinity of Beauty, Reality,
and Truth.12 Guidance along this path has historically been provided by daemons, the progeny
of angels and humans who have been the artistic masterminds of humankind. Among these,
Péladan counts such figures as Dante, Bach, and Wagner. It is the task of these daemons to
create art, and in doing so to stimulate the cultivation of Ruach/Nephesh/Neschamach. 13
9
Péladan, Comment on devient fée, 34-37.
10
Ibid.
11
Chaitow, ‘Hidden in Plain Sight,’ 140.
12
Péladan mentioned this division of humankind during an interview for the New York Sun, in 1893. R. Daly,
‘Mysticism in Art, A Very Queer Modern French Movement: The Salon of the Rose-Croix of the Temple, and of
the Sâr Péladan,’ New York Sun, May 14, 1893.
13
Joséphin Péladan, Comment ont devient artiste (Paris: Chamuel, 1894): 41-43. Also quoting a passage from
Joséphin Péladan, Istar (Paris: G. Édinger, 1888): 41.
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Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
These teachings on the origins and the future of humankind take on specific
regulations for the art that was allowed to be presented at the salons, which were essentially
open to all visitors and all artists, not only those who were members of the Order. Péladan
decided that works depicting historical, militaristic, every-day, humoristic, and orientalist
picturesque scenes were not allowed to be displayed at the salons, nor were still lives, sport,
and pets deserving themes. Only the ‘ideal’ or its adversary, based on Christian faith and
contributing to the spiritual elevation, could be displayed at the Salons de la Rose-Croix.14
Some well-known works which were displayed at the salons that met Péladans standards were
Jean Delville’s L’Idole de la Perversité (1891), and Fernand Khnopff’s I lock my door upon
myself (1891).
Figure 2 Jean Delville, L’Idole de la
Perversité, 1891. 89,50 x 48,50 cm,
chalk on paper. Museum Wiesbaden,
Collection Ferdinand Wolfgang
Neess.
14
Péladan, L’art idéaliste
Figure et mystique,
3 Fernand Khnopff, 37.
I lock my door upon myself, 1891. 72,7 x 141 cm, oil on canvas. Munich,
Collection Neue Pinakothek.
5
Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
Figure 4 Armand Point and Sarreluys, Poster for the fifth Salon de la Rose-Croix, depcting Perseus
holding the severed head of Émile Zola, 1896.
6
Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
Kaloprosopia and the Nature of the Divine
At the core of the experience advocated by Péladan is kaloprosopia, also called the ‘art of
personality.’15 It is a transcendence within the self, meant to bring man and woman back to a
state of divine androgyny. In order to understand what constitutes ‘divine’ in this context,
proper understanding of kaloprosopia must be attained. Throughout Péladans literature and
his previously dissected doctrines, kaloprosopia forms the thread that connects all spiritual
endeavors to the self. He does not claim to be in contact with the divine beyond the daemons,
but he does claim to hold a key to divine knowledge that is not accessible to others without
basic knowledge of his cosmology. In fact, he openly states that his mission, and that of his
Order, salons, and the daemons, is the active dissemination of this knowledge.16 His written
guides for men, women, and artists as part of his series Amphithéatre des Sciences Mortes
(1892-1911) directly assert that, if these guides are adhered to, the individual can become a
mage (for the man), fée (for the woman), or artiste (for the artist/daemon).
The experience advocated by Péladan is that of a process of chastity, intellectual
reflection, artistic scholarship, asceticism, and cultivation of the self. This process is finalized
in the immediate experience of union between the sexes through love. It is this union of love
that is the main subject of Péladans fourth instalment of Amphithéatre des Sciences Mortes:
La science de l’amour (1911).17 Before this final union, the individual known as a Neophyte
takes part in various other experiences. Among these is attendance at salons – preferably those
of Péladan, as these were specifically curated to serve the purpose of artistic and intellectual
reflection of the ideal and the anti-ideal. For Péladan, however, the cultivation of the self was
a constant process which the Neophyte was expected to engage with at all times, as he urges
the recognition of virtue in testifying “par un point du costume que l’on est soi, que l’on est
libre, que l’on est hors de cadre,” similar to his own costume-like appearance as an Assyrian
priest.18 To fully cultivate the self, the individual must discern which aspects of the self are
truly ones own, and which are oppressive societal standards:
Depuis le pensionnat où l’on réprimande la spontanéité jusqu’au salon où même le jeu
du paradoxe de conversation lui est interdit, la moderne obéit au commandement de
15
Frantisek Deak, ‘Kaloprosopia: The Art of Personality. The Theatricalization of Discourse in Avant-Garde
Theatre,’ Performing Arts Journal 13:2 (1991): 6-21.
16
Ryan Hartigan, ‘They Watch Me As They Watch This – Alfred Jarry, Symbolism and Self-as-Performance In
Fin-de-Siècle Paris,’ Australasian Drama Studies 52 (2008): 172-173.
17
Joséphin Péladan, La science de l’amour (Paris; Chamuel, 1911).
18
Péladan, L’art idéaliste et mystique, 58.
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Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
négativité. Attendre, refuser, reculer et se taire, voilà tout la verbification demandée:
ainsi la société qui est plus égoïste qu’aucun, puisqu’elle est faite de l’égoisme
general, écrase comme avec une raison d’État, l’individualisme des âmes.19
Considering kaloprosopia to be the full cultivation of this individualisme de l’âme, the
‘embellishing of the moral character,’ we must start considering how this cultivation manifests
itself in specific experiences.20 These experiences were primarily attainable through the
salons’ lectures, plays, and exhibitions – but the cultivation of the art of personality is implied
to be a constant process of advance towards the androgyne. 21 It was at the salons that the
masses could see what ‘real’ art looked like and its plays invited the public to participate in
this process of creation.22 Still, the experience of kaloprosopia was omnipresent outside of the
salons.
The ‘art of personality’ is a process of creation which, in contrast to the literal creation
of physical art, is accessible to all and can exalt any to the stature of ‘artist’ creating a
masterpiece – at least the animiques and intellectuals. The role of creation is crucial in
ascertaining the nature of the divine in Péladans worldview, as it takes on several forms for
various aims. For the artist, or the intellectuals, creation takes place in a more literal sense.
The physical creation of a masterpiece – be it a painting, play, or other creative project –
entails the creation of something that serves as a conduit for the divine, as Péladan explained:
“lorsque ton effort aboutit ou chef-d’oeuvre, un rayon du divin descend comme sur un
autel.”23 At the same time, the metaphorical ‘art of personality’ constitutes a creative process
similar to that of the literal artist, namely that of the cultivation of the individualisme de
l’âme. And when this ‘results in a masterpiece,’ i.e. the divine androgyne, this chef-d'oeuvre
constitutes a state of divinity. There is also a more literal creator-role for the broader public,
however, that has already been hinted at. Audiences often came to the theatrical performances
of the salon dressed in attire fitting the play they viewed, and would interject with phrases and
exclamations, adding to the performance.24 It is in the context of the creation of a personal
artistic masterpiece of the soul that the divine takes on a second dimension, that of becoming
divine.
19
Joséphin Péladan, Istar: La Décadence Latine V (Paris: Édinger, 1888): 284.
20
The ‘embellishment of the moral character’ is defined as an integral part of kaloprosopia by Péladan in
Péladan, L’art idéaliste et mystique, 59.
21
See, for example, the program for the first salon in 1892, in which Péladan opens with a poetic introduction to
the spiritual power present. Joséphin Péladan, Catalogue du Salon de la Rose-Croix: Geste esthéthique (Paris,
1892): 7-11.
22
Deak, ‘Kaloprosopia: The Art of Personality,’ 7-8.
23
Péladan, L’art idéaliste et mystique, 17.
24
Deak, ‘Kaloprosopia: The Art of Personality,’ 6-10.
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Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
It is the duty of all animiques and intellectuals to strive for the return to the divine
androgyne, in essence the return to a state of divinity. If this state can be reached without
direct assistance from God – as will be argued momentarily – then it is within the power and
responsibility of the individual to become divine by creating the divine. It would logically
follow that, through the attainment of divinity, a communion with the divine is possible.
While this cannot be ruled out from the moment that divinity is reached, it is not possible to
claim that a communion with the divine takes place before or during these processes of
creating and becoming. Communion with the divine constitutes a communication between
person and God, which is an experience of God directly. According to Grace Jantzen:
“Experiences of God are not to be sought for their own sake, for their delightfulness,
or out of intellectual curiosity. They are to be sought only and solely as the opening of
the heart to God in communion with Christ through scripture and sacrament, which is
the pathway of increasing union with God.”25
This ‘communion in Christ’ gains form in Péladans idea of art as a conduit, or mediator,
between humans and God.26 In the process of kaloprosopia, like with many Catholic mystical
beliefs, final union with God is the principal objective. 27 This takes place after the reunion of
the divine androgyne. Humankind was not created by God but by angels yet has its origin in
God through the gift of his divine spark in the form of free will. 28 Communion with God
might be seen as the main method of this reunion, as the process of reaching personal divinity
through the divine conduit of art will result in a rejoining of the androgyne with God. This is
especially true for women, Péladan reasoned, because they possess greater intuition than men
and could make use of this intuition to make sense of divine foresight. Simultaneously,
however, Péladan reminded woman that this foresight and communion could only be used to
exalt man: “Tu es le réflexe et tu n’auras jamais d’existence propre, et tu ne seras colorée que
de reflet mâle.”29
While we now understand the extent of kaloprosopia and the role of the divine in it,
we must reflect on the lived experience of kaloprosopia. How was the divine experienced in
actuality? It is a question that is impossible to answer with the sources available to us, mostly
because there was no record kept of the members of the Order. Therefore, we do not know
25
Grace M. Jantzen, ‘Mysticism and Experience,’ Religious Studies 25:3 (1989): 306.
26
Lindsey Macchiarella, Shades Of Ungodliness: Satie, The Occult, And The Flight From Reason (Master
Thesis, Florida State University, 2012): 20.
27
Joséphin Péladan, L’Androgyne: théorie plastique (Paris: E. Sansot, 1910): 42; Chaitow, ‘Hidden in Plain
Sight: Joséphin Péladans Religion of Art,’ Abraxas 5 (2014): 139.
28
Chaitow, ‘Hidden in Plain Sight,’ 144.
29
Péladan, Fée, 46.
9
Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
who took a more intellectual interest in its doctrines instead of an aesthetic one. As is often
the case with eccentrics in history, the stories told and remembered about them are written by
those who ridicule them. There is extensive material on critiques of Péladans ideologies, both
from mainstream Catholic writers and from fellow occultists, which ‘debunk’ his rewritten
Genesis or his critiques of certain occult practices. 30 The extent to which Péladans doctrines
were taken seriously can only be, partially, established through the involvement of serious
artists of the time. Painters like Khnopff and Delville, and composers like Satie and Debussy,
took an interest in the philosophies of Péladan. But even then, this interest cannot be
disentangled from personal benefit in aligning with a mystical order that promised
commissions, an audience, and plenty of media attention. Satie, for example, left the Order
after only one year, and while Delville shared aesthetic and cultural values with Péladan, he
differed in his view on how this new art should be brought into reality as a “medium for
spiritual evolution.”31
It seems tempting to label kaloprosopia as Péladan intended it to be an experience that
only he was experiencing. Still, it must be considered that those involved in the works of the
Order to some extent believed in its mystical pursuits. Khnopff, for example, specifically
addresses the experience of an other-worldly state through viewing art:
The spectator was enwrapped by this living atmosphere of dream-love and
spiritualized fire, carried away to a happy intoxication of the soul, a dizziness that
clutched the spirit and bore it high up, far, far away, too far to be any longer conscious
of the brutal presence of the crowd… This artist’s dream, deliciously bewildering, had
become the real…32
Besides Khnopff, there were artists like Jan Toorop and Carlos Schwabe who openly
supported the antinaturalistic, idealized function of art. But, as Jeffrey Howe reminds us:
“Given that an artist’s personal faith is unknowable, the challenge to interpretation is very
strong.”33 We must assume that complete adherence to, and experience of, kaloprosopia as set
out in Péladans doctrines and writings over the last decades of his life, was only truly lived by
30
For general ridicule of Péladan, see Chaitow, ‘Hidden in Plain Sight,’ 137-138. For specific instances, see
’Kanshi H. Sato, ‘Sacher-Masoch, Péladan and fin-de-siècle France,’ Waseda global forum 7 (2010): 357;
Robert Orledge, ‘’To boldly go’: Erik Satie’s ‘simple little prelude’ of 1894 sets out on an esoteric astral journey
towards ‘The Heroic Gate of Heaven,’’ The Musical Times 160:1949 (2019): 56.
31
Mary E. Davis, Erik Satie (London; Reaktion Books, 2007): 48-50; Brandan Cole, Jean Delville: Art between
Nature and the Absolute (Newcastle upon Tyne; Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015): 85.
32
Quoted from Jeffrey W. Howe, ‘Symbolist Spirituality: Religious Themes on the Art of Fernand Khnopff,’
Religion and the arts 8:4 (2004): 430. Originally in Fernand Khnopff, “In Memoriam: Sir Edward Burne-Jones,
Bart,” 522.
33
Howe, ‘Symbolist Spirituality,’ 419.
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Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
Péladan himself. Eventually, Péladan himself renounced many of the more mystical tenets of
his doctrines, supposedly because of new interests, but more likely because of a lack of
financial stability.34
34
Ben Fisher, ‘From the Sphinx to Pisa: Reconciling the Two Faces of Péladan,’ The Modern
Language Review 102:1 (2007): 78-79.
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Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
Conclusion
This paper has demonstrated the implications of Péladans philosophy of kaloprosopia and his
cosmology for the transcendental experience advocated by his Ordre de la Rose-Croix et du
Graal on the nature of the divine. It has done so by arguing that certain relations to the divine
are central to a proper understanding of kaloprosopia and its consequences for personal
mystical experience. These relations to the divine can be divided in the creation of divinity,
becoming of divinity, and communion with divinity.
Creation of divinity takes place in the literal sense through the manufacturing of art –
whether it is painting, sculpture, acting in a play, or taking part in a play through audience
interaction. Allegorically, creation also happens in the day-to-day ‘art of personality’ which
strives for the creation of a uniquely personal character befitting the gender roles of man and
woman. The ultimate creation that results from this personal character is the divine
androgyne. In this sense, any person, save the ‘consummate fools’ of society, could become an
artist in their own right and the creator of something divine. Simultaneously, the ‘art of
personality’ is about the alteration of the self and the transcending of the self into divinity in
the form of the divine androgyne. The becoming of something divine is thus inherently tied to
the process of creating said divinity. Communion, on the other hand, is not a means so much
as it is an end of Péladans kaloprosopia. For women connection with God was possible
because of their greater intuition, while for men this was harder to attain. Either way, the final
goal of kaloprosopia was reunion with the Angels and God as the divine androgyne, not a
communicative process with God prior to that state.
Though this philosophy of kaloprosopia sees little to no direct effect in the form of an
actual lived mystical experience, it certainly dominated the life of Péladan himself, for whom
this manifested itself in his at times bombastic public image. Artists like Delville and Satie
were involved and interested in his mystical pursuits, but perhaps more so because of their
materialist critiques and promising career options, while figures like Khnopff and Toorop
likely held very personal beliefs regarding the divine and their role as artists. The question
whether these experiences of the divine can be said to have been lived, remains uncertain. For
now, we know what Péladan believed to be experiencing – the process of becoming divine
through self-creation and self-reinvention, and we may suppose that only Péladan truly lived
this experience, as befits his doctrine of living “hors de cadre.”
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Camille Brijer Communing, Becoming, Creating
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