I am not a painter. I am the painting. Where the painter has got lost into the painting, I don’t know.
– Osho, “The Messiah, Vol 1, #1
Yes, it’s true that Osho, also known as Rajneesh Mohan Chandra, was not only a spiritual leader and mystic but also explored creative expression through art. Osho is mainly known for his philosophy speeches and spiritual teachings but few know that he practiced art. It is notable that he did not bring rigid structures, rules or set objectives to art which was similar to his living and spirituality. His paintings tend to be abstract and displayed a large range of colour, often appearing spur of the moment and free, reflecting his interpretations.
He said creativity is an intrinsic part of spiritual growth and pressured people to view art ingenuity as a way to self-discovery. Osho’s artwork, often referred to as “signature art,” was a unique form of creative expression. His pieces typically included spherical designs made with bright markers and ink on the blank pages of books he read, serving as extensions of his meditative practice. Osho created around 900 such works, each with distinct color patterns and fluid strokes, reflecting his philosophy of blending spontaneity, creativity, and spirituality. These paintings represented the evolving stages of his spiritual journey. 11 of these signatures encapsulate the essence of his philosophy of letting go of rigid structures and embracing creative freedom as a form of meditation.
1. Edition: 300| Year: 10.10.1974| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com2. He used bright colored markers, blot ink and felt-tip pens to make usually spherical designs on a blank page at the beginning or at the end of the volume.| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com 3. They seem to represent the evolving stages of a sage.| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com4. It is stated by the OSHO Commune, Pune that OSHO created about 900 so called ‘signature paintings’ inscribed on the blank cover pages of his books, as part of his extended signature.| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com5. OSHO’s signatures. Signing every book he read, he used ‘Old signatures’ in 3 parts and ‘New signatures’ in one flow, OSHO did not sign his name, instead wrote in Sanskrit ‘Namaste from Rajneesh‘.| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com6. The shift from old to new signatures was a continuous process, and we see a gradual change of signature from a simple in the beginning to new calligraphic signature colored with felt tip-pen.| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com7. Also old signatures are occasionally colored.| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com8. All books in Lao Tzu Library are signed, with dates in Hindi in Hindi books and in English in English books.| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com9. When reading a book, OSHO sometimes made a drawing. He would call for a book he liked the most that week and then painted its philosophy or essence.| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com10. Each of these signature is different from the other and that is where the uniqueness of His art lies.| Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com11. Multi-colored orbs or spiraling motion in orange. | Courtesy: affordindianart.blogspot.com
