As a young child I learnt the meaning of transparent, (things you could see through); and opaque, (things you couldn’t). Then, sometime later, I came across translucent, and was told it meant part way between the two. I’m not sure now whether that explanation is enough.
Translucent derives from Latin: trans: meaning through, and luère: meaning to shine. (As opposed to transparent meaning simply ‘to appear through’. So the quality of shining is added to the appearance. Our word lucid, derived from the same root, means ‘bright, shining, radiant.’
What is light anyway? We all kind of know what it is, and how it contrasts with darkness or shadow. We also understand that light must have a source (somewhere). And we are told that light is needed to show us the colour in objects, as it bounces off their surface - in other words, to light up the world. But what about lucidity?
The translucent quality of light means that light not only makes things appear for us to see them, but can also make things shine! Just for a moment, think of sunlight . . .
And now think of sunshine. See how those two concepts slightly differ from one another, resonate differently in the way they make you feel? Sunlight can touch the surface of things, lighting them up colourfully,, but sunshine touches below the surface, creating a resonance between the viewer and what she sees. Sunshine can make the heart rejoice, sunshine inspires poetry, touching the heart of humanity. I am reminded of the mists here in Cornwall, which drift magically across the land and coast in certain seasons. They sometimes appear quite opaque, and other times transparent. But the translucent quality on such days is beyond all words!
My personal artist hero, JMW Turner, on his deathbed is reported to have said:”The sun is God.” As I’ve pursued my own spiritual calling as an artist, I’ve come to understand more and more what he meant. There is a divine quality inherent in light, (being closely aligned with the source of all life here), that somehow makes everything okay. All the shadows are eventually dispelled, the darkness we may have feared. Therefore, the translucent quality of light must somehow equate with the opposite of fear, which is love. Often God is defined as Love.
Steve Slimm - November 2023
