If a Spinner went to an art gallery, would they see the Spiritual Realm?

[Doomslug99]

In Warbreaker we see Lightsong being effected by a particular painting which works together with his dreams and clearly some Spiritual Realm/Fortune shenanigans.

In Oathbringer, Kaladin touches Riino's shiny globe and gets a vision. Later in Celebrant (ch. 102) Kaladin notices a painting where he sees the same image as in his vision.

 

If a Spinner (chromium Ferring) tapped Fortune while looking at art, would that give them a chance to peak into the Spiritual Realm?

[Sophrosyne He/any]

Welcome to the shard! Make sure you do an intro post and let us know what you've read.

As far as I can tell Fortune is really just looking into the spiritual realm somewhat generally. So, no art needed but I can magine that taping chromium and looking at anything specific will help guide the visions. 

[Treamayne]

Welcome to the Shard. As @Sophrosyne mentioned, please consider adding to your profile or an Intro Post a list of what you have or have-not read (whichever is shorter) so spoilers can be avoided. Also, please consider checking out the Sharder FAQ for some forum tips and tricks. 

8 hours ago, Doomslug99 said:

In Warbreaker we see Lightsong being effected by a particular painting which works together with his dreams and clearly some Spiritual Realm/Fortune shenanigans.

In Oathbringer, Kaladin touches Riino's shiny globe and gets a vision. Later in Celebrant (ch. 102) Kaladin notices a painting where he sees the same image as in his vision.

If a Spinner (chromium Ferring) tapped Fortune while looking at art, would that give them a chance to peak into the Spiritual Realm?

This is less about access to Fortune, and more about the paintings originations. The Nature of Endowment allows artists of the correct Heightening to imbue something of themselves into their work, so other invested people (like your examples of Lightsong and Kaladin) get a glimpse of the Artist's Intent. WoBs:

Spoiler

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Gordon

The paintings (I think there were at least two, right?) that remind Lightsong of his dreams and the Manywar etc. Is the artist someone we know? If not, will we eventually meet him/her in a later book? Does the artist hope to affect Lightsong this way, or is it just some guy giving abstract art to his God?

Jared

Is the artist that painted those paintings Hoid?

Brandon Sanderson

Hoid did not make the paintings. The goal of those paintings—and this is spoilery, by the way—the paintings are actually what the text implies that they are. They are abstract paintings which Lightsong, having a touch of the divine, is able to see and read into things that aren't necessarily there.

Beyond that, art is a magical thing in the world of WARBREAKER. When an artist creates a work of art, part of the artist's soul ends up in the artwork. Someone who has many Breaths and who's Returned like Lightsong has the inherent ability to see into the art and perceive that. So Lightsong can interpret correctly an abstract piece, based on what the artist is trying to convey, in a way that a normal person couldn't.

I was not trying to make the artists anyone specifically important. In the case of those paintings, they are wonderful artists—I think they are two separate artists, if I'm thinking of the two paintings that you're indicating. As Lightsong has a splinter of divine nature inside him, he is able to interpret the paintings—to foresee, using them, and to see into the soul of the person who made them.

Goodreads Fantasy Book Discussion Warbreaker Q&A (Jan. 18, 2010)

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Brandon Sanderson

Lightsong Sees the Painting of the Red Battle

This is our first major clue (though a subtle one at the same time) that there might be something to the religion of the Iridescent Tones. Lightsong does see something in this painting that an ordinary person wouldn't be able to. A well-crafted piece of art, made by a person channeling the Tones and connected to them via Breath, can speak to a Returned. Now, in this case, it doesn't work quite like Llarimar says it does—Lightsong doesn't actually prophesy about the black sword in the way the priest thinks. In other words, Lightsong isn't prophesying that he'll see the Black Sword (Nightblood) in the day's activities.

Instead, Lightsong is seeing an image of a previous war, which is prophetic in that another Manywar is brewing—and in both cases, Nightblood will be important to the outcome of the battle.

The person Lightsong sees in the abstract painting is Shashara, Denth's sister, one of the Five Scholars and a Returned also known as Glorysinger by the Cult of the Returned. She is seen here in Lightsong's vision as she's drawing Nightblood at the battle of Twilight Falls. It's the only time the sword was drawn in battle, and Vasher was horrified by the result.

It's because of her insistence on using the sword in battle, and on giving away the secret to creating more, that Vasher and she fought. He ended up killing her with Nightblood, which they'd created together during the days they were in love—he married her a short time before their falling out. That marriage ended with him slaying his own wife to keep her from creating more abominations like Nightblood and loosing them upon the world.

Nightblood is part of a much larger story in this world. He's dropped casually into this particular book, more as a side note than a real focus of what's going on, but his own role in the world is much, much larger than his supporting part here would indicate.

Warbreaker Annotations (Nov. 16, 2010)

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R'Shara

The two paintings--The Battle of Twilight Falls, and the one that Kaladin sees in Shadesmar. Are they the same?

Brandon Sanderson

I believe that they are, but I could have...When I wrote the original scene, I intended them to be, but I might have changed something later on. They would be by the same artist. You can say yes, unless I changed something. There was something I was thinking of changing. I'd have to go back and look at them side by side.

R'Shara

But they sounded different. One has black in it, that the other one doesn't.

Brandon Sanderson

The thing is, that artist, and people seeing it, I intend them to each see something different in the paintings they see. But I don't know that I actually decided to make that the same painting. But the same artist.

Starsight Release Party (Nov. 26, 2019)

 

And I would agree that a Spinner tapping Fortune would also likely see these things, if they were there to be found. But it is not necessarily present in all artwork.

Hope that helps

Edited November 1, 2024 by Treamayne
SPAG/Clarity

[Doomslug99]

Super helpful answers, thanks guys! The specific paintings coming from artists Invested by Endowment helps it to make sense. Very helpful WoBs!