Category: Painting
Humans in the Garden of Eden
The fusion of divine creation and evolutionary science in a triptych painting using contemporary figures to help us see ourselves at the beginning of human existence. Land, sky, and water are interchangeable depending on their relationships to the figures. The Garden of Eden is the planet Earth.
Left: An African indigenous couple is blended in a lush grassy landscape representing the first human ancestors.
Center: Semi-transparent figures mingle with monkeys, signaling the gradual emergence of humans from other primates.
Right: Adam and Eve appear in this panel honoring Lucas Cranach the Elder, a 16th-century Renaissance painter. A large monkey occupies the center position, bridging the gap between mythological and biological origins. Throughout the triptych, red cardinals recur as symbols of hope and transformation, linking the panels into a unified narrative.
Dancing in the Garden of Eden with Lilith
Contemporary dancers, both dressed and nude, appear in the primal Garden of Eden where humans made their first appearance. Built into the image are hints of the Biblical account. Lilith is one of them. The Bible says that God made both man and woman. A few paragraphs later, the Bible states that God made Eve from Adam’s rib. Commentary from rabbis postulates that there were two women. Lilith, Adam’s first wife, was too independent to get along with Adam and was considered by many to be a witch. The women’s movement considered Lilith to be a role model for the liberation of women. Fenton presents both views.
Agents of Manipulators
It is true parents manipulate their children’s behavior for good and bad reasons with the mythological characters depicted. The real reason for this painting is that the artist believes there has never been a serious painting using these characters. When was the last time you saw a serious painting of Santa Claus or the Boogieman? Fenton chose to try it for himself.
Convergence of the Mount Rushmore Presidents
The four presidents whose images make up Mount Rushmore were very distinct individuals with very different motives, accomplishments, and personalities. Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Roosevelt, whose presidencies altered the course of history, blend together by the same history into some sort of historical soup of Americana. Each portrait is combined in Fenton’s painting with the other three presidents, leaving a general sense of the individual president depicted.
Them vs. Us
Divisions between Them and Us have long been sources of destruction, divided by nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, skin color, and politics. Understanding we are both Them and Us may lead to a more civilized society. As Albert Einstein said, ‘Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of Mankind.’
Fenton’s composition draws from Paolo Uccello’s The Battle of San Romano and Edouard Detaille’s Vive L’Empereur, depicting warriors in fantastic headgear. Fenton combines images like a napalm-burned Vietnamese girl and a black man attacked with an American flag to create new meanings.
Inspired by the political climate of building walls, Fenton contrasts this with Emma Lazarus’s welcoming poem on the Statue of Liberty. He hopes his painting will show that merging Them and Us into We leads to a more just, tolerant, and benevolent world.
Judith and Holofernes
The apocryphal story of Judith and Holofernes accounts how the beautiful Jewish widow is invited into the tent of Holofernes, an Assyrian general preparing an attack on the Jewish town of Bethulia. She decapitates the general, who is in a drunken sleep, and consequently saves her town, sending the Assyrians fleeing. Many Renaissance and Baroque artists painted Judith and Holofernes, including Cranach the Elder, Mantegna, Caravaggio, and the iconic version by Artemisia Gentileschi. Contemporary artists painted the highly dramatic story as well, including Gustav Klimt and Kehinde Wiley, who painted a black Judith and a white Holofernes. Fenton’s version brings the story into contemporary times and flips the storyline to make Judith a senior citizen and Holofernes an Adonis-like young man, leaving the viewer to contemplate the psychological reasons for themselves.
The Universe Was Made For Me; I Am Nothing But Dust And Ashes
An 18th-century Polish rabbi, Simcha Bunim, wrote, “For my sake the world was created; I am nothing but dust and ashes.” The artist, contemplating the rabbi’s remarks, came to the conclusion that his words were extraordinarily profound. This dichotomy allows people to do great things and still be altruistic to their fellow human beings. Balance was the key which allows one to go through life with as few regrets as possible and still be a decent human being. In his painting, Fenton has Napoleon crowning himself Emperor of France while simultaneously seeing Somalian children dissolving into dust and ashes. Fenton portrays himself in double portraits, depicting the juxtaposition of extremes.
Hogarth’s People
Florida friends were enjoying their drinks at a pool party. Fenton could not help but notice the similarity of the folks imbibing to William Hogarth’s third painting in the series “The Rake’s Progress.” The placement of Hogarth’s scathing depiction of Thomas Rakewell as he squanders his inheritance was humorously superimposed on the drinking Floridians, creating a curious relationship between the eighteenth-century folks and the frolicking Floridians.
David Bathsheba and Uriah Lust Adultery and Murder
David spies Bathsheba bathing in the nude on a rooftop. He lusts after her and has his way. She gets pregnant. Bathsheba has a husband, Uriah, who serves in David’s army. Ultimately, David sends Uriah to the front lines in battle and has the rest of the troops pull away, causing Uriah’s death. The artist sees this Biblical story as moral issues that are very contemporary and worthy of contemplation.