The Cat in the Hat
Acrylic on Canvas
Jonathan Thunder
"At the core of my work is a story line that reflects my personal lens as a filter to the social, political, environmental and spiritual climate around me. I seek to create imagery that is surreal and imaginative by incorporating influences from the structure of my dreams, the culture around me and the direction my life is headed on any given day. I consider my work “vignettes” or short stories within a larger ongoing narrative that evolves as I evolve."
Themes in his work:
-
Relationships: Family & Romantic
-
Politics
-
Gender roles
-
Environment
Bio:
Jonathan Thunder is a multi-disciplinary artist currently residing in Duluth, Minnesota, who works in canvas painting, animation, film making and 3D projection mapping. He has attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM and studied Visual Effects and Motion Graphics in Minneapolis, MN. His work has been featured in many state, regional, and national exhibitions, as well as in local and international publications. Thunder has won several awards for his art/animation work on multiple projects.
The Most Dangerous Game
The Most Dangerous Game is love. The male and female figures stand similar in their nature, their makeup. Under it all they are so much the same. The skulls are parallels, but in mirror image, with light and dark, like the yin and yang of all things. BUt, while they stand together, they are disconnected. He holds a flower, she a gun. His right hand seems neutral, her left s away from him, as if defensive. This represents the struggles of power and control that play too often a part in relationships. The polarity of the gun and flower suggest a more extreme, perhaps abusive, reality for this pair.
Notice the baffonary of the the politician. He's careless with the terrified fish and his fingers are crossed behind his back.
Just as the Cat in the Hat was a poor caretaker for the children, this man, dressed to suit a role, is a poor caretaker of nature (the fish) and is lying to whomever it is he is interacting with.
The Most Dangerous Game
LINKS
Article: Duluth artist uses modern tech to connect with Native traditions
PBS Video Interview: https://www.pbs.org/video/jonathan-thunder-interview-dp6zwy/
Radio Interview: https://www.kaxe.org/post/jonathan-thunder-contemporary-native-artist#stream/0
The images I create are like entries in a scrapbook. They're conceptual snapshots of events, characters, epiphanies and dreams that shape my life. The style of imagery I make comes from a place of emotion, spirituality, drama, comedy and love. My paintings are journal entries, a record of personal evolution. My animations are dark cartoons with humor.