Selected Lexicon of Symbols

In his letters and notes, Bess drew a number of symbols which he believed underlay all artistic expression. These images appear frequently in his work and symbolize aspects of his theories regarding eternal life.

Young woman
Young man
Orifice (subincision)
Bulbocavernous muscle fiber
Stones (testicles)
Golden star (anus)
Marking of time; units of time
To go
To go and return; to go back and forth (masturbation)
Craters
Waves
To go north
Trees
Moisture; drops
Hermaphrodite
Death (undilated urethra)
Life (dilated urethra)
To cut
To cut deep
To cut shallow
To stretch
To stretch (formalized)
Hole
Hole gets larger
To stretch hole
Color symbolism:

red = male
white = female
green = young
pale yellow = light
Indian yellow = urine
brown or tan = excrement

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