Light out of darkness is a constant refrain in Jon Fosse's Septology. Asle (1) not to be confused with Asle (2) or his wife Ales or his friend Asleik, is painter who gains fame from the quality of his painting. Every painting needs black, he argues, because it's out of the dark that light shines. Apparently his paintings are abstract with an attraction that draws in the viewers. An art gallery shows his works, most of which quickly sell.
Light out of darkness is Alse's mystical understanding of the presence of God. "....it's always, always the darkest part of the picture that shines the most, and I think that that might be because it's in the hopelessness and despair, in the darkness, that God is closest to us,... P. 79. "...,because it's in the silence that God can be heard, and it's in the invisible that He can be seen.... P. 167. "....when I went to The Art School they said you should never paint with black because it's not a colour, they said, but black, yes, how could I ever have painted my pictures without black? no, I don't understand it, because it's in the darkness that God lives, yes, God is darkness, and that darkness, God's darkness, yes, that nothingness, yes, it shines, yes, yes, it's from God's darkness that the light comes, the invisible light,..." P. 267.
For this work, and his corpus, Fosse received the Nobel Prize in 2023. Well deserved I'd say and the second reading brought me greater understand and deeper appreciation of this magnificent book.
It caused me to reflect on the darkness and light in my own life. First attempting college unprepared both academically and too immature led to failure. Seeing that I lacked focus I enlisted in the USMC. That move felt like failure...darkness. However, out of it came a 65 year friendship with Ed, light out of darkness! Returning to college after military discharge led me to Joanne, light out of darkness! Yes, and much more.
It's one of the best books I've read!
Takk for alt,
Al
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