Some features of Gasparetto's mediumship

We reproduce below the main points summarized by Mrs. Dubugras about Gasparetto's mediumship (Dubugras, 1979, 'Researchers study the phenomenon', p. 100-102):

• He works in trance. In other words, in an altered state of consciousness;

• The pictures are done at an unusually high speed. The average for simple drawings was 4 minutes, more elaborate pictures took from 10 to 20 minutes. Some were done in 30 seconds. Not even a trained artist could produce work of such good quality so swiftly. And Luiz Antônio is not a trained artist.

• The absence of light during sessions, except when they are held for scientific purposes. Bright lights and flashlights cause the medium great discomfort. This has also been found in the case of physical effect mediums when producing materialisation or similar phenomena;

• He paints portraits of discarnates. Some were of relations or friends of people present at the session and recognized by them. Others have been of famous people of different countries - Queen Elizabeth I, of England; Allan Kardec, founder of Spiritism; W. B. Yeats, modern Irish poet; Lawrence of Arabia and many others;

• The total absence of models, yet the figures are anatomically correct;

• The variety of styles, each picture corresponding in style with that of the artist signing the work;

• The ambidextrous techniques, although the medium is not ambidextrous when not in trance;

• The simultaneous use of both hands, each working on a different part of the same picture, i. e., the strokes done at the same time are not symmetrical;

• The drawing of two heads at the same time, both hands working simultaneously. At times one of the heads is painted upside down;

• When drawing two heads simultaneously, each hand will sign the name of the discarnate artist responsible for that picture. When one of the heads is done upside down, the signature is also done upside down and back to front. This happens at the same time that the other hand is signing the portrait which was done right side  up;

• Painting with his feet or with his feet one of the hand simultaneously;

• While painting, the discarnate artist often talks with the person helping to hold the paper down. See the case of Portinari who describe what he was doing and the meaning of the picture.

Who were the painters?

At the time, several distinct personalities had manifested themselves through him, some occasionally and other more frequently:

The group of discarnates who paint through Luiz Antônio include Renoir, Degas, Toulouse Lautrec, Delacroix, Portinari, 'Aleijadinho' who was a famous Brazilian painter and sculptor....Also Lasar Segall, Modigliani, Anita Malfatti, Raphael, Rembrandt, Botticelli,Van Gogh, Matisse, Manet, Monet and other who paint occasionally. (Dubugras, 1979, 'Who are the painter, p. 108)

Who were the painters?

At the time, several distinct personalities had manifested themselves through him, some occasionally and other more frequently:

The group of discarnates who paint through Luiz Antônio include Renoir, Degas, Toulouse Lautrec, Delacroix, Portinari, 'Aleijadinho' who was a famous Brazilian painter and sculptor....Also Lasar Segall, Modigliani, Anita Malfatti, Raphael, Rembrandt, Botticelli,Van Gogh, Matisse, Manet, Monet and other who paint occasionally. (Dubugras, 1979, 'Who are the painter, p. 108)

The musical project carried out by Rosemay Brown (Brown, 1971) had a discarnate manager in the figure of the Mrs. Brown's spirit guide, Franz Liszt. In the case of Gasparetto, the rule was taken by Toulouse Lautrec. As in the case of Mrs. Brown, Gasparetto was able to describe several aspects of the painter's personalities:

When she controls Luiz Antônio, he paints calmly and speaks to those nearby in a gentle way. (about Tarsila do Amaral, Dubugras, 1979, p. 103)

Picasso gets the most easily upset when observers move or whispers. There have been instance where, despite repeated requests for silence, the people walk about and talk in low tones. The painter, without further warning, has crumpled the paper on which he was drawing and put a stop to the work and to the session! (on Pablo Picasso, Dubugras, 1979, p. 104)

When Portinari, the Brazilian painter, is present, Luiz Antônio feels the problems of the impoverished Brazilian peasant which the artist still depicts in his own unimitable style. (on Cândido Portinari, Dubugras, 1979, p. 104)

Toulouse Lautrec... is always  concerned about the pictures he produces through him and once, feeling that the anatomy of the figures was inadequate, he decided to practice during a session. (on T. Lautrec, Dubugras, 1979, p. 105)

Degas seems to have less difficulty in drawing through Luiz Antônio as he paints ballerinas in the most difficult poses imaginable, even though Luiz Antônio's knowledge of anatomy is slight. (on E. Degas,  Dubugras, 1979, p. 106)

What is the message?

At the end of the book 'Is that you, Renoir?' we can find the following passage by Mrs. Dubugras:

Through his mediumship, 5000 psi paintings were produced during the past 8 years and these were in the styles similar to those the discarnate artists used during their lifetime. However, a number of these artists are now adopting different styles, possibly feeling that they came to do through Luiz Antônio, that is, show that life continues after death and that the discarnates can communicate with us through adequate channels such as our young medium,  Rosemary Brown, Chico Xavier, Coral Polge and many others in different parts of the world. These changes in style also show that life after death is not static, that man's spirit evolves; by speaking of their previous lives, they prove that reincarnation is a fact. (E. Dubugras, 1979, p. 112)

Although the phenomenon is poorly understood (least to say, accepted) by mainstream science, it can not be denied nor invalidated by words. Rhetoric is incapable of 'erasing' such facts which will continue to exist, in spite of any academic disdain.

References 

Braude.S. (2003). "Immortal Remains: the evidence of life after death", Chapter 5, Rowman & Littelfield Pub., Plymouth, UK.

Brown R. (1971). "Unfinished Symphonies: Voices from the Beyond". William Morrow; 1st US edition.

Dubugras E. (1979). "Is that you, Renoir?", 1st Edition in Portuguese/English by FEESP, São Paulo, Brazil.

Kardec A. (1861). "The Book on Mediums", Transl. by A. Blackwell. 2nd. edition by FEB.

Oliveira, L. V. P. de. (2009) "Mediunidade e psicopictografia: reflexões preliminares acerca da pintura mediúnica"(Mediumship and psychography: preliminary remarks on mediumship painting). IN: Proa - Revista de Antropologia e Arte [on-line]. Year 01, vol. 01, n. 01, August. Available only in Portuguese at

 http://www.ifch.unicamp.br/proa/artigos/artigoluisa.htm

Notes

(*) All  portrayed models represent discarnate entities.