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.
Tag: Contemporary
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.
Ezekiel’s Vision
A contemporary representation of Ezekiel’s vision, this painting reimagines the ancient prophetic imagery within a modern context. Ezekiel’s vision, as described in the Bible, includes a divine chariot composed of four living creatures, each with four faces and four wings, moving in perfect unison. Above them is a throne of sapphire with a figure like a man, radiating brilliance, symbolizing the glory of God.
Read Ezekiel’s Vision Ezekiel 37:1-14.
Esau and Ishmael, Morning Evening
Traveling in Jordon Fenton stopped to view the fantastic desert landscape. Two Bedouin also stopped for a cigarette break. Fenton was drawn in by the timelessness of the scene. Except for cigarettes, wristwatch, and power lines in the background, this same scene could have been found centuries earlier.
The Selling of the Golden Calf
In Exodus, the golden calf was a false god created by the Israelites while Moses was on top of Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments. As punishment for such idol worship, the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. In this painting, Fenton draws a parallel between the Biblical golden calf and the idolatry created and encouraged by contemporary consumerism, leading to the metaphoric desert of our own making. Fenton references Rembrandt’s Moses with the Table of the Law as a contemporary ghost, smashing the tablets in reaction to our new idolatry.
Akedah-The Binding of Isaac
The Binding of Isaac (Akedah) found in Genesis is retold as a contemporary story of popular culture’s sacrifices of children. Each panel dramatizes the moment in which the angel stops Abraham from sacrificing his son. God provides a sacrificial ram as a substitute for Isaac. A metaphoric ram and other visual metaphors are used in each panel to help dramatize and draw parallels from the Biblical story to the present.