Transfigured Night 1946

Here, in Peter Busa's "Transfigured Night," painted in 1946, we encounter a realm of symbols emerging from the depths of the night. Biomorphic shapes float against a black background like figures in a dream. Note the recurring motif of the star, a symbol of guidance and destiny. This emblem has been revered since antiquity, from the Star of Bethlehem to the protective stars adorning ancient Roman tombs. In Busa’s painting, the star is fractured, perhaps reflecting a postwar world grappling with uncertainty. Consider the fluid lines connecting these forms—do they mirror the nervous system, suggesting a hidden order beneath the surface of consciousness? Such imagery taps into a collective memory, an ancestral past that continues to shape our emotional responses to art. The painting’s overall effect is one of transformation, hinting at the cyclical nature of human experience. These archetypal motifs suggest a continuous psychological process, where symbols of past and present converge.