Jonah and the Whale: Rebirth Motif
John B. Flannagan
American Art
John B. Flannagan’s interpretation of the Old Testament story of Jonah and the whale reflects his career-long interest in themes of life, death, and rebirth. In this relief sculpture, Flannagan depicted the contorted body of Jonah enclosed in a womblike shape, which is enveloped, in turn, by the larger silhouette of the whale. His stylized forms and carefully incised lines verge on abstraction.
A major proponent of the early twentieth-century practice of direct carving, Flannagan advocated a spontaneity of approach and truth to materials—highlighting the inherent properties of the medium itself. He once remarked: “There exists an image within every rock. The creative act of realization merely frees it.” The original piece of bluestone, which the artist kept in his studio for two years, likely guided the form and content of this composition.
MEDIUM
Bluestone with wood base
DATES
1937
DIMENSIONS
33 1/2 × 11 1/4 × 6 in., 61.5 lb. (85.1 × 28.6 × 15.2 cm, 27.9kg)
(show scale)
SIGNATURE
Unsigned
ACCESSION NUMBER
1992.11.12a-b
CREDIT LINE
Bequest of Edith and Milton Lowenthal
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Statue of flattened, upright whale (face down, tail up) with contorted figure of bearded man in its stomach carved in relief on both sides; statue attached to rough wood block base.
Condition: Good.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
John B. Flannagan (American, 1895-1942). Jonah and the Whale: Rebirth Motif, 1937. Bluestone with wood base, 33 1/2 × 11 1/4 × 6 in., 61.5 lb. (85.1 × 28.6 × 15.2 cm, 27.9kg). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of Edith and Milton Lowenthal, 1992.11.12a-b (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1992.11.12_front_PS11.jpg)
IMAGE
front, 1992.11.12_front_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2017
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RIGHTS STATEMENT
Orphaned work
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During the interwar years, John B. Flannagan was a leading American proponent of the method of direct carving—working directly on the material with one's own hands, instead of having the sculpture reproduced from a model using mechanical aids or assistants. He also believed that, within every rock, there was an image waiting to be freed by the sculptor. It took Flannagan two years to discover the subject matter for "Jonah and the Whale" in a piece of bluestone he found in the fields around Woodstock, New York. The work depicts the biblical prophet Jonah imprisoned in the belly of a whale, his punishment for disobeying God. (He was released after repenting.) In the color, shape, and texture of the stone, Flannagan found the basic form of his whale, adding economical incisions to articulate the creature's mouth, eyes, and fins. Jonah's fetal position and the biblical promise of redemption evoke the theme of rebirth—a persistent theme in Flannagan's art and a metaphor for his creative process.
The process of direct carving is really important for that time -- and the way the artist revealed the true nature of the material, its texture and contours, is fascinating.
