Night Fires 

Agnes Pelton painted ‘Night Fires’ with oil on canvas at an unknown date. Pelton was an American modernist painter influenced by the transcendentalism of the 19th century, the teachings of Helena Blavatsky, and the psycho-spiritual theories of Carl Jung. In this painting, she uses abstraction to explore themes of spiritual illumination and cosmic unity. The jagged red lines at the bottom of the canvas hint at a material reality, while the soft blue and orange hues above evoke a sense of ethereal transcendence. Pelton lived through a time of significant social change in the United States, with the rise of industrialization, urbanization, and new technologies. Many artists sought new ways to express the changing realities of modern life. Pelton turned to abstraction as a means of capturing the inner spiritual dimensions of human experience, in contrast to the materialism of modern society. Looking at her written works, personal journals, and other artworks of the time will help us understand her unique vision and its place within the broader cultural landscape of her time.