☰ Jonathan Thomson Art
KATA TJUTA
In 2022 I visited Uluru /Kata Tjuta in Central Australia and it was a revelation to me. The forms of these landscapes speak to the geological forces of folding that helped to create them over millions of years but they are also imbued with a sense of the humanity of the custodians of this land who have treasured it and everything that it represents for millennia.
These paintings draw on the traditional Chinese style of painting known as Shan Shui which uses brush and ink to depict mountain and water landscapes. Shan Shui is not concerned with a literal depiction of landscape but the artist’s emotional and aesthetic response to it. It is a principle which informs all of my work.
Towers of Power
These works explore the invisible systems of power that govern everyday existence. Towers are symbols of male power erected to facilitate ascension and watchfulness. Form follows function in the design of airport control towers, but the resulting rationality of the built structure asserts masculine power, virility, harmony, proportion and control. This family of strictly utilitarian architecture are structures that resonate with aesthetic harmony and are charged with potent symbolism.
