Spirit: The Art of Robert Bissell

Spirit, as Robert Bissell says, is nearly impossible to describe. It’s full of magic and mystery, and you can find it only when you allow yourself to experience it firsthand. This is something best done in the natural world. Zoomorphism—using animals to show us human qualities—is Bissell’s way of pointing out, with a smile or a nod, that we are all part of a multidimensional world. Humans are animals too, sharing spirit with the rest of the universe, but our curiosity often takes us into an exploration of our consciousness, where we can discover courage, loving-kindness, and compassion. Spirit: The Art of Robert Bissell includes more than 130 of Bissell’s artworks that help illuminate the universal quest into the world of spirit.

Robert Bissell

In Robert Bissell’s magical realism paintings, animals are a mirror for human existence, self-definition, and reflection. Bissell grew up on a farm in the English countryside, immersed in a world of animals and literature, and he incorporates both in his art and writings. His explorations of zoomorphism—portraying humans as non-humans—prompt us to ponder the environment, death and renewal, the stages of transition, and the mystery of life. He invokes a sense of peace and harmony in his allegorical paintings and dreamy landscapes, and continually investigates the nature of spirit. He divides his time between London and San Francisco and exhibits regularly in the UK and the US.