MARIA LINARES FREIRE, CONVERSATION WITH A MODERN POLYMATH

ARTHA | "I think God created the universe through Geometry"

déc. 15, 2021

Updated Sept. 20, 2023

ARTHA

"Being able to appreciate Beauty makes me a better person."

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Maria Linares Freire, artist in residence (2022-23)

Maria Linares Freire is a London-based Artist from Cordoba, Spain. A Londoner for 24 years now, her work has been published in various Art books and magazines and awarded 8 international prizes, among which the prestigious Dante Alighieri and Leonardo Da Vinci Prizes.

Inspired by quantum mechanics, geometry and Egyptian mythology, Maria’s Art is neo-baroque, transcendental, gigantic, Harmonious, everything Revue {R} loves and promotes. Maria’s most iconic exhibition happened in October 2015, when scientists at the NASA projected her painting over the Moon surface. On Earth, she has also exhibited in London, Bristol, Milan, Rome, Athens and New York. Maria's Geometric Universe challenges our intellects to elevation.

During her two-year residency at Revue {R}évolution, Maria curated a polymath art contest, exhibited in {R}'s Polymath Art Gallery and co-edited the Art section of our fifth issue.

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Maria Linares Freire

Conversation on the moon, the appeal of polymathy, and the artist's spiritual path

The Artist over the Moon

MURIELLE MOBENGO: Maria, the editorial team in a {R}évolution is absolutely thrilled to have you join us and delighted about this conversation. So your Art traveled to the Moon…

MARIA LINARES FREIRE: (Laughs) Well, yes. The NASA found me through Twitter and I received a message from them saying: “Your painting has been selected to be projected over the moon surface.” I thought someone was making a joke. I'm always talking about the sky, dreaming around, so it felt like a joke. But at night, I checked the link they provided out of curiosity. It took me to Youtube and there were these people from NASA and they were really doing it, you know! It was a new experiment with visual artists from all over the world. Through radio waves, space scientists projected images over the Moon surface during the Observe The Moon Night–something I din't know existed. So I saw it live and when I heard my name and saw my painting, how it was and how it was looking over the moon, I cried. I had a telescope, I’ve always loved the sky. Science inspires me a lot, ever since I was a kid.

Who is a Polymath?

MURIELLE MOBENGO: Sacred geometry always felt spiritual, but distant to me because of its psychedelics. And then, seeing your feature in Goddess Art Magazine, I realized your paintings were sacred geometry elevated to Art. Because most of the time, in sacred geometry, it’s not quite art yet. Yours is. It’s mature Art.

MARIA LINARES FREIRE: I’ve always had a lot of science books. I am curious about every kind of form, the most basic laws of the universe, like gravity, amaze me, which is reflected in my paintings; the universe as a magical science book, frequencies, vibrations extended to the evolution of the spirit as expressed in this painting, a representation of all the chakras, and the spirit always finding love in the end. That one is about time being a subjective experience, how it passes differently according to the places we’re in. Quantum mechanics inspires me. The more you know, the more creative you become. I love to read. Instead of watching a movie, I’ll read a book about science, or watch a documentary on quantum mechanics, holo art. I also love science fiction, archeological discoveries, and hermeticism! The internet is an amazing invention for curious people! We can learn whatever we want. Recently, I became interested in particle collisions. I could just go on forever.

A vision of the universe by Artist Maria Linares Freire

REVOLUTION, a view of the universe by Maria Linares Freire. Acrylic on canvas. Courtesy of the Artist.

I see a shape and correlate it with something and tell stories about it. Quantum mechanics, Egyptian philosophy, Hermeticism and Geometry inspire me. Sometimes, people don't get what I'm doing.

–Maria Linares Freire

MURIELLE MOBENGO: One of the pet projects of Revue {R} is The Polymath. In my study of Poet-Artists lives, I have observed that Poets are multitalented. As they mature, their various talents come together in some kind of project, poetry for Poets and something visual for Artists, which are also Poets creating with different material. You are the living proof of what I’ve been researching and having strong intuitions about: When creativity is harmonious, that is, guided by a quest for elevating knowledge, creativity leads Poet-Artists to cross the boundaries of knowledge, channel the sublime, and become creators of Culture. What people observe and love in Art is the Artist’s whole journey through knowledge, and they call it “Beauty.” So, my question to you is: What happened (laughs)? What happened when you decided to create like that? Did you really decide you would be an Artist?

MARIA LINARES FREIRE: I’ve always loved forms, geometry. I would see a shape and correlate it with something and tell stories about it. I love art. I’m not very good at words, but I’m really good at forms, symbols. Sometimes people don’t get what I’m doing, you know.

MURIELLE MOBENGO: Maria, this is a common experience for all creators. People don’t get what we’re doing (which is why they buy Art, otherwise, they would be doing it). So how do you react to that ?

MARIA LINARES FREIRE: A lot of people tell me that my paintings are enlightening, I mean the people who are sensitive get some kind of power or energy in the presence of my paintings. My Art is not "MacDonald’s," you know. So, I am happy those who are sensitive to what I express get it. It’s not easy to understand, like flowers, dogs or nudes. I think the human brain is very lazy. If you see a painting of David Bowie or Jimmy Hendricks or Bob Marley, you’ll say: I love it! Well, Why? Why do you love it? My paintings are calculations. There’s a lot of geometry in there, numbers. Some people think my art is childish because they’re only able to see shapes. Never mind. I even love it when they don’t understand what I’m doing (laughs).

The Artist, interpersonal entanglement & freedom

MURIELLE MOBENGO: I believe humanity's Culture is facing a crisis. The industrial revolution, a pivot in automation and externalization, may have triggered it. Human intelligence is becoming less and less subtle. Art is now bluntly “visual” and all about what’s easy to grasp. Artistic perception is Poetry: it’s supposed to be subtle and refined. This is why people love art. Through symbolism, Art elevates our mundane perception to the unexpected, the extraordinary, what's beyond mundane, beyond the senses. The current situation in contemporary art is terrible and I am so glad to have this important conversation with an accomplished Artist.

MARIA LINARES FREIRE: Money is also a driving force. Some Artists hide what they love about their creations and promote only what will bring money. I would never do that. I have a day job to pay for my art material, this way I am a free Artist. I have to be free. In this life, money rules everything, even politics. In my art, there are no rules except doing what I love, expressing myself as I want or when I want. Art is growth and next time I reincarnate, I will be a better person. Belief in reincarnation gives a whole other flavor to life. We don’t know what we did in the past, but we grow, and I think that’s wicked.

MURIELLE MOBENGO: You are right, creativity is introspective and spiritual and those who are in it for the money will never get its power or beauty or meaning, unless they grow, too. What triggered your first painting when you woke up and said I need brushes, a canvas and pigments?

MARIA LINARES FREIRE: I wanted to have something beautiful in my flat and I didn’t want to buy it. Now my house is like a museum. I am a complete autodidact. I think God created the universe through Geometry. Everything is geometrical so if you concentrate enough, we can all find the geometry that is everywhere and put the painting together. We all have Art inside, we just need time. Everybody has an Artist inside, whether singing, or painting, otherwise, poetry, acting etc.

MURIELLE MOBENGO: Absolutely. I came out as a Poet in NYC, but I always knew. Starting QELP, the Poet's LIFE podcast made me realize all creators of Culture are alike: they share an intense emotional life, the root of many existential and mental challenges. This hypersensitivity seems to be a pendant of the creative life and perception. What is the role your emotional life plays in your creative process and did you manage to transcend the inertia or darkness Poet-Artists seem to carry within themselves?

MARIA LINARES FREIRE : Yes, I did. I decided to be free and to do the things I love, a reason why my paintings are so positive. I don't want to be sad and down and out, so I my paintings reflect that dynamism and give subtle knowledge and energy, and help people feel good and forget about their problems. My house is packed with what I paint, an absolute distraction. I do this on purpose so wherever my brain looks, it sees geometry, symmetry, peace. I know some people feel overwhelmed with all the beauty around me, sometimes.

Life Dynamics, acrylic on cotton edged canvas by Maria Linares Freire

Life Dynamics, Maria Linares Freire. Acrylic on cotton-edged canvas. In the Artist's own words: "This is a symbolic representation of the soul's journey through various stages of consciousness (chakras). The soul always finds love in the end." Courtesy of the Artist.

The Artist and Mythology

MURIELLE MOBENGO: Very Insightful. For me, there are two types of people in the world: those who create and those who consume, a subtle, yet brutal fact Poet-Artists need to understand as it defines their interactions with the world and affect their inner and outer lives. Culture consumers are passive while Culture creators are obviously active. The first ones don’t want intimacy with their own self–although they know they need it–which is why they consume the latter. So, it's good to have an Artist around and to control him/her with volatile notoriety (or money). We are in this difficult rapport with people, or let’s say, the whole of humanity? (laughs) What’s the percentage of Poet-Artists on this planet? That’s a good question to ask a statistician and I bet we’re going to laugh or cry and wonder: man, what is this place? Speaking of intimacy with the Self, what is your relationship to mythology and spirituality? I read in Goddess Art Magazine that Egyptian mythology inspires you very much. How did you come across Egyptian myth and how does it infuse your art?

MARIA LINARES FREIRE: I fell in love with Egypt because of the architecture, the graphics, their astronomy, sacred geometry, and algebra. Ancient Egyptians were amazing, very wise. I traveled to Egypt and fell in love with the stars in the deserts. I love Africa, it’s very inspiring but ever since I was a kid, I had massive fantasies, I loved all mythologies, whether Roman, Greek or Egyptian, Medusa…I found it wicked and then you grow up and read these stories again, and think these things through and found more…trustworthy meaning and wonder in them. Maybe this wasn’t mythology. How interesting that these big skeletons are found. So, maybe mythology wasn’t so bogus, maybe mythology was the real thing. These stories are beautiful: how people were living, who they used to worship. For me, mythology is the reflection of the culture of the time, whatever their dreams or beliefs were, they would represent them with Gods, massive armors, wicked creatures, horses. How crazy these people were (laughs), I mean how can you not be interested in it? Of course, some are interested in archeology, something more “valuable” to them. They were also very luxurious in their approach to Art as well, super, super lavish. I think the Greek were like that also, connected to the people. In Greece, mythology is everywhere. Too bad it’s not properly taught in school (Egyptian mythology).

MURIELLE MOBENGO: People get archeology because it's tangible. But the artefacts' subtlety and symbolism are lost to them. Ancient Egyptian culture survived the death of its peoples and travelled through time and space to infuse and enrich Western art and esotericism. To my knowledge of African mythologies, that's the only one. Other mythologies in Africa, like Kindoki in Congo, or Voodoo in the rest of Black Africa, remained more or less local or marginal, probably due to mainstream monotheistic pressure. In my opinion, mythologies thrive and elevate civilizations when they contain universal symbols and are sensitive to Oneness. When I was a child, we had a few hours of mythology at school but their teaching was superficial and omitted their symbolism and philosophical aspects. I also found Norse Mythology to be fascinating but it wasn't part of the curriculum. Do you have a spiritual practice, Maria?

MARIA LINARES FREIRE: I used to meditate. Now I wake up at 5:30 in the morning, go to my balcony and talk to myself. I say “thank you” for everything and I look at the stars. I think this makes me a better person, to be able to thank the universe, and appreciate the beauty of the sky, the nature around. When I go back inside, I listen to the birds, just to maintain that connection. For me, it’s important to be connected to Nature. Nature is spirit. And the moon is amazing. Amazing things happen to me on full moons, like you contacting me for this interview.

Advice to a young Artist, Rilke style

If you need to take a side job to provide for your Art materials, try and find something that you like. It's important to find balance between your day job and your passion. Avoid having a cliff between your day job and your art, a love-hate situation. It is not good for your mental state.

For example, I've been working as a Chef for more than 20 years and I enjoy it because cooking is both Art and Mathematics.

–Maria Linares Freire

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