The painting is named Sheep, Shepherds, and a Goat; it is epic, magnificent and breathtaking (though not in a corona way), and it brings shocking but profound glaze on life and politics in 2020. Oil on canvas, in vast dimensions 42x68 inches, is a work by Jordan Henderson from Washington State, US. There will undoubtedly be a great deal to study and say about it later on, but for now, the point is to observe the painting with a spark of joy.

This is a large painting, so here are some pictures that offer a more detailed look:

The author’s note on the painting:

“An allegory of the year 2020 and The New Normal that it has brought, a year in which symbolism, ritual, and superstition reign as instruments of oppression. I built this composition around the widely understood concepts conveyed by ancient, and still useful, metaphors of sheep, shepherds, goats, and wolves. This allegory is multilayered; my usage of the primary metaphors is overt, but built into the primary metaphors are additional, much subtler, layers of metaphor.

I will eventually provide a more detailed explanation, and I am more then willing to clarify points of confusion, but for now, I think viewers will have more fun discovering the metaphorical layers on their own. Additionally, it is worth noting, that the viewer may perceive deeper truths in the elements portrayed in a painting then what the artist intended, and I don’t want to get in the way of that process.

So, more explanation will be forthcoming, and for now, enjoy the painting.”

Prints with the motive of the painting are available here.

Slovenski prevod:

Veličastna slikarska umetnina naslovljena Ovce, Pastirji in Kozel je epska in dih jemajoča (slednje seveda ne po principu koronske politike). Pogled nanjo nas lahko šokira, a nam odpira tudi polje za pogobljeno refleksijo življenja in politike v letu 2020. Slika tehnike olja na platnu je velike dimenzije (42x68 inč) in njen avtor je slikar Jordan Henderson iz Washington Stata, ZDA. Umetniško delo bo nedvomno navdahnilo podrobne študije in obsežne debate v prihodnosti, ampak za začetek gledalce nagovarja predvsem po navdihujočem opazovanju.

Avtorjevo sporočilo ob sliki:

“Alegorija leta 2020 in prihajajoča Nova normalnost; je obenem leto, v katerem so simbolizem, ritual in vraževerje uporabljeni kot inštrument represije in zatiranja. Kompozicija slike je zgrajena okoli splošno prepoznanih in uporabljanih, a v osnovi iz antike prenešenih, konceptov, kot so metafore ovc, pastirjev, kozlov in vokov. Gre za večplastno alegorijo in primarne metafore so očitne, vendar so vanje vtkane še dodatne in precej subtilnejše plasti metafor.

Sčasoma sledi podrobnejša razlaga in tudi razjasnitev morebitnih nejasnosti. Odgovor na, zakaj na začetku bolj redkobeseden opis, se skriva želji in ideji, da bi tak način omogočil opazovalcem samostojno odkrivanje metaforičnih nivojev in s tem tudi več raziskovalnega veselja. Smiselno je omeniti, da si lahko posamezniki naslikane elemente razlagajo še na drugačne načine, kot je bil avtorjev namen, in podrobnejša razlaga bi v tem smislu lahko bila nekoliko na poti takšnim svojstvenim doživljanjem in interpretacijam slike.

Vsekakor v prihodnosti sledi razlaga, za sedaj pa uživajte ob gledanju slike.”

Različni predmeti z natisnjenim motivom slike so dostopni tukaj.

Once again. (Še enkrat)