Description
For everything there is a season,
A time for every activity under heaven. — Ecclesiastes 3John August Swanson first created Ecclesiastes in the 1960s, inspired by a reading from John F Kennedy’s funeral, and Pete Seeger’s song,
Turn, Turn, Turn. He revisited the artwork throughout his life. This new giclee joins elements from his serigraphs, paintings, and sketches, completing a project he began in May, 2017.Swanson’s vision, was inspired by the rose windows and facades of gothic cathedrals. The numerous scenes include Bible stories, parables, animals, carnival performers, and moments of human kindness. John August Swanson viewed his artwork as
“a universal portrayal of humanity that easily crosses cultures, races, and languages to speak to all people of the inestimable value of time and of all human life.”Swanson’s signature is printed on the lower right margin of the paper and the prints are individually numbered by the Studio.
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ECCLESIASTES- History of the Image
Work toward this giclée edition of Ecclesiastes began on May 10, 2017, when a film transparency of Swanson’s 1989 painting was scanned for a digital archive. Swanson thought of many changes he wanted to make to the image, but the project was put aside for other works. In February, 2019, he made ink drawings on Mylar to indicate changes he wanted to make to the figures. The new edition would combine the thin lines of his 1989 painting with the added embellishments from his serigraph edition, as well as have brighter and more vibrant colors, but the project was put aside again. In August, 2021, John August Swanson was admitted into hospice care due to heart failure. The artist passed away on September 23, 2021. Using Swanson’s directions, notes, sketches, and years of experience working with him in the creation of giclee editions, the Swanson Studio completed the new giclée edition on March 7, 2022.
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ECCLESIASTES
1969, One Color Serigraph
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ECCLESIASTES
1969, Serigraph
Hand Colored in 1972
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ECCLESIASTES
1989, Original Painting
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ECCLESIASTES
1989, Limitied Edition Serigraph
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ECCLESIASTES
2019, Pen Drawing on Mylar by John August Swanson
indicating changes to be made
for a new giclee edition of the artwork
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ECCLESIASTES
2022, Limitied Edition Giclee
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