A beautiful tribute to artist John August Swanson by Cecilia Gonzalez-Andrieu: a life dedicated to art, faith and justice americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2… My full comments fellow below:
John August Swanson drew on many currents and styles of art, but for all the complexity and symbolic depth of his work, it has always seemed that his natural audience was children--and those who retain the ability to see with the eyes of a child. . .
His work is for those who know how to see with their hearts, to be surprised and delighted, those who have not lost the spirit of play. John sees God at play in creation, in the dreamscape of a starry firmament, in the stories of Jesus and the people of God, . ..
in acts of solidarity for justice and peace. And it is no wonder that he pivoted easily from images of St. Francis and other saints to jugglers, clowns, and circus performers. St. Francis called his followers jongleurs de Dieu—tumblers, jugglers, acrobats of God. . .
—who performed for the Lord, just as John performed through his art, through his vision of a world imbued with color, wonder, and love. He was not afraid to appear simple or foolish, knowing that God has chosen what is foolish in the eyes of the world, to shame the wise.
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