As this is a much documented topic, we won't be giving a full color painting, but rather just a rough charcoal sketch, so to speak, as an introduction to the subject. For example, further painters of interest include Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898), english painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter, had Theosophical connections and his art is appreciated by Theosophists. Moreover, John William Waterhouse (1849 – 1917) was close to occult esoteric milieus and some feel that his depictions of magic could indicate Theosophical inspiration. Austrian painter Gustav Klimt's (1862 – 1918) painting Philosophy has been thought to have Theosophical inspirations. In the last five years, Swiss painter Hilma af Klint (1862 – 1944) has had a remarkable surge of recognition, with her Theosophical inspirations duly acknowledged.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6XXTE2Jd98 https://brooklynrail.org/2005/11/artseen/beyond-the-visible-the-art-of-odilon-red/
3- José Villegas ( 1844 – 1921) was a Spanish painter of historical, genre and costumbrista scenes, inspired by the works of the Orientalist painters. He attended the Centro de Estudios Teosóficos of Seville, active in the calle Sierpes, which gathered young intellectuals who combined civic engagement with metaphysical aspirations. Villegas absorbed symbols, readings, and ideas from this environment.
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6- Reginald W. Machell (1854-1927) was an English painter whose best-known work is The Path. He joined the Theosophical Society after meeting Helena Petrovna Blavatsky in London, and later moved to the Point Loma community, where he painted, wrote, and designed furniture.
7- Hermann Schmiechen (22 July 1855 – c. 1923 or 1925) was a German portrait painter and Theosophist. From 1884 to 1895 he was a member of the Royal Academy of Arts. In 1901, Schmiechen, returning into Germany, settled in Berlin and joined the German section of the Theosophical Society.
9- Fernand Khnopff (1858 – 1921) was a Belgian symbolist painter and one of the founding members of the avant-garde group Les XX in 1883. His paintings often depict isolation, desire, and the dual image of woman as femme fatale and angelic ideal, a recurring theme in symbolist art. Khnopff had close ties to British Pre-Raphaelitism, befriending Edward Burne-Jones and other British artists, and from 1895 was Brussels correspondent for the art journal The Studio. Khnopff moved in Jean Delville’s Theosophical circle.
10- Jan Toorop (1858 – 1928) was a Dutch painter who worked in various styles, including Symbolism, Art Nouveau, and Pointillism. His early work was influenced by the Amsterdam Impressionism movement. In 1905, he converted to Catholicism and began producing religious works. He also created book illustrations, posters, and stained glass designs. Artists like Piet Mondrian—who worked closely with Toorop in Domburg—were explicitly and heavily inspired by Theosophy during their spiritual evolutions.
Further reading
https://www.theartstory.org/definition/theosophy-and-art/
https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/theosophy-and-art/
See the Imaginarium Theosophica
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