Is David Teague the new Basil Wolverton?
The comparison isn't in style, but in affiliation. Teague is a UCG member, and his depiction of the second resurrection hangs in the office of church president Clyde Kilough. You can view this painting here. Judging from comments on Mike Bennett's blog, opinion is divided over whether the work is inspiring or just plain disturbing.
For another taste of Teague, try his impression of the Red Sea crossing. I quite like this one.
The greater COG movement has attracted relatively few artists or musicians, so it's interesting to see an exemplar. Has there ever been a commercially published COG novelist - other than the terrific Ellen Hart (who doesn't really count, having found a new life.) How about musicians who have achieved at the highest level (sorry, Ross Jutsum is good, but not that good.) I have no way to evaluate David Teague's talent. Anyone here who can offer an informed opinion?
20 comments:
A pregnant skeleton?
The CoGs tend to take Ezekiel 37's allegory of national restoration to be a literal resurrection, so perhaps that is the reference.
I like what he does with colours.
Wouldn't the Israelites and their animals cut their feet on Red Sea coral? The Red Sea has some of the finest coral beds in the world. Did the nice beach sand magically appear like in the painting?
I was a student at Bricket Wood in the early sixties. We had a number of students from the old Commonwealth countries. One that started with me was Robert M McGuinness. Bob was well known in Australia at the time for his publications "Illustrated Satires." which were similar to the old Mad Magazine. Details are held at the National Library of Australia and the University of Melbourne have copies of some of his paperbacks
I think he's incredible. I really like the resurrection painting. I wonder if one could order prints?
The Apostate Paul
Nice to be resurrected with new clothes. I'm sure the renaissance painters would have done this a bit more graphically.
All in all, it does seem to be a pretty accurate depiction of what they believe will happen.
Dora Kuhn (wife is Robert Kuhn) is a classical pianist regarded as one of the leading Khachaturian interpreters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dora_Serviarian_Kuhn
Although never a church member, she was intimately involved. Does she count?
Teague's work reminds me of John August Swanson's paintings. I have "Into the Light" by Swanson. Teague's work is rather intriguing and out of the norm for a COGlet member to think in such simplistic 'happy' terms as he illustrated. COGlet members would much rather wallow in the shadow of a vengeful 'god' who is just itching to zap all creation because people ignore Herb and his teachings.
John August Swanson link:
http://www.johnaugustswanson.com/default.cfm/PID=1.2
Gavin said, "The greater COG movement has attracted relatively few artists or musicians, so it's interesting to see an exemplar."
MY COMMENT - You could expand your blog comment by saying:
"The greater COG movement has attracted relatively few artists, musicians or actors/actresses, so it's interesting to see an exemplar."
Oh how proud we were in the Worldwide Church of God when AC student Dan Truhite played Rolf in The Sound of Music.
It sort of gave some legitimacy to the WCG that we all weren't a bunch of nutcases in some end time church cult. Garner Ted's gig on Hee Haw doesn't count.
Richard
Teague's paintings look vaguely like what I imagine the inside of the average United Church of God member's head looks like. The juvenile quality and cartoonish naivete speaks to the infantilized mindset of those still trapped in this closed high-demand religious group.
Apropos of nothing, Teddy Johnston let a comment of mine through on TSGB. I haven't read the replies because I want to keep the happy, slightly bemused feeling I have, instead of descending into head-deskery at the stupid.
The secret to getting an approved comment on TSGB even if you've "fallen away"? Quote Bible verses first. Horror of horrors, I even quoted from the NRSV!!
Bonus points to Teddy, though: He didn't even edit the comment, which was critical of both his proof-texting, and Gracie's women's ministries. (In the context of the verse he quoted, Gracie shouldn't have any, was my point.)
Ah crap.....Does that mean they know who I am? 8-O :-(
The second resurrection painting reminds me of the men who step out of the mother ship at the end of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", except there's a lot more of them. How many people have lived on Earth who will be resurrected? Far more than Earth can accomodate, I suspect, even after the Millennium. Venus and Mars will probably be terraformed to accomodate the overflow.
Quite like the depiction of the Red Sea Crossing.
Most of us could only probably draw geometric representations of this event.
More,please.
Jorgheinz
Here is another currently in UCG.
American and Virginia artist Radford Wine enjoys a fine career. “I paint.” he states, “that I may bring peace.” Many Virginia landscapes ...
www.radfordwine.com/
"How many people have lived on Earth who will be resurrected? Far more than Earth can accomodate, I suspect, even after the Millennium."
You forgot the part about how the "trillions of people who have ever lived or died" would be resettled on now-magically-habitable planets throughout the universe. (Think Star Trek without the funny foreheads, and way more white people.)
That's the part Herbie swiped from the Mormons, oddly enough.
I would like to add Dorothy and Toto, et.al. to the front of the line in the first painting...
Stylistically, the resurrection painting is similar to some of the medieval/early renaissance paintings depicting some moral or religious concept. Including some symbolic devices such as autumn harvest setting with sunflowers oriented towards what one may imagine as the source of true light, and a "kneeling" tree.
As to whether he is a good or great artist, I couldn't say because the definition tends to shift about between technical ability and innovative concepts and any combination in between and I don't keep abreast of current trends of thought in the artistic field:)
He is definitely good, but his style is not altogether to my taste. I think he leans a little too much to the storybook illustration style. Nice but it doesn't make me feel as though I'm seeing something that deeply stirs me emotionally and intellectually. Usually I feel that towards art that is more multifaceted in how it can be viewed or interpreted.
One of my long time favorites in religious paintings has been St. Joseph and the Infant Christ by Boccicio. It can be viewed either from the aspect of the human or the divine.
"The juvenile quality and cartoonish naivete speaks..."
Of a weird sort of brilliance.
Dave, I'm your number one fan.
The Apostate Paul
Jethro asked:
"How many people have lived on Earth who will be resurrected? Far more than Earth can accomodate..."
Jethro, just in case your question is a serious one, various historians estimate, and it's only a ball park figure, that between 40 to 60 billion human beings have lived and died the past six thousand years.
PurpleHymnal said...
Teague's paintings look vaguely like what I imagine the inside of the average United Church of God member's head looks like.
I think milk just came out my nose! I shouldn't drink milk and read at the same time. Oh that's funny!
Stylistically, the resurrection painting is similar to some of the medieval/early renaissance paintings depicting some moral or religious concept. Including some symbolic devices such as autumn harvest setting with sunflowers oriented towards what one may imagine as the source of true light, and a "kneeling" tree.
That "kneeling" tree is very interesting -- look closely and you see that the tree is pregnant, carrying an unborn human child.
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