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: painting
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.
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.
Who by Water, Who by Fire…
The concept of this painting came from a 1200-year-old prayer which suggests who will live and who will die, and those that die before their time succumb to a litany of possible deaths. The prayer ultimately suggests that repentance, prayer, and charity will temper the severe decree. The prayer started to resonate with the artist when he faced his own mortality and thought, Who by Fire, Who by Water, and Who by Thoracic Aneurism.
My Conversation with Watteau
Fenton has a conversation with Watteau while the characters carry on their own conversation. In fact, two conversations, one visual and the other verbal, take place. Watteau used his friends as models for the stock theatrical characters in the painting Commedia dell’Arte, as did Fenton.
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.
Larry and Carl
A fisherman holding his catch is a ubiquitous photographic image. Fenton chose to paint the subject to create something unique from the most banal of images. His use of metal leaf suggests something regal or religious . . . or possibly both. Using trompe l’oeil, Fenton paints taped negative photographs of fishermen as if he were painting from those negatives.