Hysterical Criticism

Whodathunkit? While walking downstairs with the painting at left, I suddenly encountered a wormhole in the space-time continuum (located in one of our kitchen cabinets), and the painting was sucked in before I could stop it! Fortunately, I was able to reach in and find it again, but when I pulled the painting out, the following analysis of the painting came out with it, apparently written by some future historian.

Go figger…

"The first thing we must learn about this artwork is who painted it, and this will give us a deeper understanding of the piece.
It is signed T.Jones in the lower left corner, and has been traditionally accepted as the work of Timothy Jones, an obscure, mid-level painter of the early twenty-first century, who signed his work in the same way.

We now know, of course, that this is very unlikely. There are a number of pieces signed T. Jones in existence, and they differ widely in style and content. This painting does not resemble the large, abstract pieces that are also attributed to T. Jones, so most modern scolars no longer accept that this is an original T. Jones work.
Who, then, painted it? Most modern scholars agree that it was the product of several artists, over a period of time. Perhaps it was based on a sketch by T. Jones, but the painting we now see was revised and developed within the Jonesian community, and reflects their concerns at the time.

We may notice that the handling of paint, the brushstrokes, vary throughout the piece. In some areas the paint is applied thinly, in others it is more thickly textured. Some areas seem more expressive and energetic, while others are more controlled and realistic. Clearly this was executed by more than one artist.

The painting appears to be a straightforward rendering of items that might be found around the artist’s studio, but if we look more deeply, we can see that it is profoundly symbolic. We should not make the mistake of thinking that these are necessarily real objects being depicted. In fact, whether these objects really existed or not is irrelevant. What is important is the deeper meaning of the image.

We see depicted a small copper pot, surrounded by some fruit, two glass bottles and two small china dishes. All rest on a simple white cloth, atop a wooden table or plank.

The vessels at the left of the painting (the copper pot and larger china dish) are full of fruit, overflowing with the "fruit of the spirit" that comes from life in Christ. In contrast, the vessels at right are empty, barren. What separates these two groupings, these two ways of life? We see a clump of grapes, representing the "grapes of wrath" that divide us. The "empty vessels" are separated from the others by issues like anger, resentment and judgemental attitudes.

It helps to know that at this period in history the Church in the U.S. was torn between progressive forces on the one hand, and opressive patriarchal forces on the other, and this painting clearly reflects that struggle. The piece calls us all to understand that we are all the same, standing together on the pure, white cloth of love, resting on the sturdy tabletop of the Primacy of Conscience. The deeper meaning of this painting, then (as with all great art), is – Be Nice.

Standing at the center is the copper pot, old and dented, but filled with fruit. this represents the church as a whole, overcoming the ancient and prejudiced ideas of the past to find the living fruit of justice.
Yeah,.. justice.

Or maybe, freedom.

Whatever.

In any case, we could continue to find deeper meanings to this seemingly simple painting, but space does not allow us to discuss all that we might find. Just remember, the important thing about any work of art is what it means to you."