Don't Hate, Evaluate

Alex Grey’s collection “Sacred Mirrors” is a well-admired piece among contemporary artists and art critics. His work has illustrated and created a diagram that combines the physical anatomy of a human with spirituality. However, Leah Ollman does not empathize with Grey, or his colleagues, in her article “The Anatomy of an Artist: A Mind-Body-Spirit Cliché”. She argues that Grey’s work is too showy and shallow to be profound, and that his work is more of a parody than anything. Ollman uses faulty comparisons, closes her mind to the ideas Grey appeals to, and faisl to entangle the progression that Grey’s artwork is built upon, where one sees themself transcend from physical to spiritual form.

Her initial criticisms of Grey’s work come off as insulting as opposed to introspective, as she complains that the work is showy, artificial, and “an embarrassment of a show”. These “critiques” are shallow, and do not observe the paintings well. Grey’s work is hardly artificial and showy; many depict the anatomy of the human body to mirror the composition of the viewer. As the work progresses, we see he dissects the human anatomy in the paintings, and eventually turning the person into a representation of the aura of the spirit. The nature of his purpose (depicting the human spirit) is abstract, but not necessarily artificial, as the human spirit can be defined through science as well as metaphysics.

Ollman continues by creating a flawed contrast between Grey and William Blake. She states that Blake was a visionary, unlike Grey. The problem with this comparison is that Grey does not claim to be a visionary himself, only that his art is his envisioning of the soul. On a broader spectrum, it is impossible to compare any artist or “visionary”, as each has his or her own themes, motifs, and ideals. Even though Grey’s work may be similar to other “visionaries” from a general standpoint, he specifies his work through his unique style that encompasses the anatomy of a human. I have never witnessed anything like his work, which differentiates him from many other great visual artists.

Further into the paragraph, Ollman comments “[Greys’] paintings look more like the stunted offspring of fantasist Frank Frazetta and New Age guru Deepak Chopra (who helped sponsor the show)”. This slander misrepresents Grey’s work, as Frank Frazetta incorporates fantasy in his work while Grey uses realism and spirituality. The assertion also shows that Ollman may have a bias against spiritually motivated persons, as the insult mocks Deepak Chopra who is a world-renowned spiritual figure. With all that said, she has failed to analyze the purpose of Grey’s work and allowed her predispositions to inhibit her from a full comprehension of “Sacred Mirrors”.

In Ollman’s closing paragraphs, we see where her false justifications come from. She remarks that Grey’s work uses “Illustrative overkill” because the depicted rays, beams, and auras are exaggerated special effects. This exaggeration makes the work appear as a parody to Ollman, but the exaggeration is used by Grey to intensify the actions portrayed in the paintings. Ollman notes that the work integrates science fiction like characteristics, digressing Grey’s intended meaning into something else. Nevertheless, I do not see science fiction because the basis of the work is fundamentally realistic. The anatomization of the human body emphasizes and fully reinforces this motif in Grey’s work and discredits any fictitious themes.

Despite Ollman’s opposing argument, Grey’s work may appear to be overdeveloped, but it only is intended to add depth to the meaning. I find it intriguing that someone would write such a harassing and harsh criticism of Grey’s work, as if one cannot enjoy the theme, then one may enjoy the talent his hand. Through Ollman’s rhetoric and argument, one can observe that she is insulting to Grey, creates a faulty comparison to mock Grey’s abilities, and may have a bias against those seeking spiritual depth.


Ollman, Leah. "The Anatomy of an Artist: A Mind-Body-Spirit Cliche." LA Times [Los Angeles] 27 Apr. 1999, Art News and Reviews sec. Alex Grey. Web. 19 Apr. 2010.

*unfortunately I can't post "Sacred Mirrors" on the blog. If you like to view the peice, go to and go to 'paintings'