El secreto de las flores: conexiones entre la naturaleza y el cuerpo humano en la cultura esotérica. Análisis de la obra pictórica y literaria de Carmen Madrigal Nieto en su libro El encanto espiritual de las flores, su inteligencia y su sentido oculto. (Costa Rica, 1973)

Abstract

This article analyzes the influence of esotericism on the pictorial and literary work of Costa Rican artist Carmen Madrigal Nieto, who was a member of the Theosophical Society and of the Dharana and Saint Germain No. 621 lodges. The study focuses on her book The Spiritual Charm of Flowers, Their Intelligence, and Their Hidden Meaning, exploring the integration of esoteric concepts into her work, particularly the symbolism of flowers and plants, conceived as vehicles for spiritual transformation and a connection between the human and the divine. The research starts from the following question: How does the symbolism of flowers and plants construct an esoteric narrative about the relationship between the feminine and nature?

This research is divided into three sections. First, it explores the philosophical influences of Naturphilosophie, German idealism, and Romanticism on her thinking and artistic production. Second, it analyzes the esoteric representation in her pictorial and literary work, highlighting a conception of nature as a living and spiritual entity, in which Madrigal Nieto interprets plants as intelligent and magical beings through esoteric traditions such as theosophy, Rosicrucianism, occultism, alchemy, and mysticism. Finally, an iconographic analysis of his paintings is conducted using Erwin Panofsky’s methodology, with an emphasis on the representation of the female body and nature, with the aim of identifying the connection between the natural, the human, and the esoteric.