About us Español
"Love is the master and ruler of all the arts. We understand that love is the master if we consider that no one can find or learn any art if he has no pleasure in seeking the truth and has no desire for invention. Love is the master because his disciples can't learn the arts if the master doesn't love them or if the disciples reject his doctrine. Love also deserves to be called the ruler of the arts: he is the one that creates the works of art, both in the artists that make them and in the audience that loves them. The artists of all nations do not seek or cultivate anything but love."-Marsilio Ficino, 1469
Hermetic Philosophy and Hermetic Art are not two independent expressions that have some connections and links between them: they are one and the same thing. Our tradition teaches that art is the expression of our philosophy and our philosophy is the expression of our art.
The Salón Arcano was, in its origins, inspired by the Salon de la Rose+Croix of Paris, created in 1892 by Josephín Péladan, which had the intention of exhibiting art that was related to mysticism, legend, myth, allegory and dreams.
The Salón Arcano exhibits works that deny the existence of a dividing line between art and hermetic philosophy. The Salón Arcano is open to painters, sculptors, filmmakers, dancers, musicians, digital artists, photographers or any artist who embraces these ideals.
We also work as a publishing house, but that's the only section of our website that is only for Spanish speakers, since we only publish in that language.
“We often hear of people who do not understand contemporary art, but love the art of the past. This arises from a fundamental misunderstanding of art itself, and we can be sure that the people who say these things understand neither the art of the past nor that of our own time. Because to understand a painting or any work of art does not mean to understand its subject, but to assimilate its meaning. Painting is intended to communicate, not to provide luxury décor. Paintings are and have always been magic, religious objects. But the gods change, they change continuously, evolving as civilizations evolve. Every instant is a new step, a new civilization that is born. The artist is the herald of the new human conditions. He discovers new totems and taboos for which his age has the potential, but not yet the awareness. Hence the concept of the painting, of painting itself, and the concept of poetry, cannot have meaning for us. The artistic moment does not lie in these facts, but in the bringing to light, reducing to images, the preconscious universal myths." -Piero Manzoni: 'Prolegomena for an Artistic Activity' 1957.