The Bear Takes the Flag to Lenny
2007
21st century
120.1 cm x 177.2 cm (47 5/16 in. x 69 3/4 in.)
Jonathan Marshall
(Morgantown, West Virginia, 1981 - )
Primary
Object Type:
drawing
Artist Nationality:
North America, American
Medium and Support:
Ink and gouche
Credit Line:
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Purchase through the generosity of Michael Chesser, 2008
Accession Number:
2008.120
After training at The University of Texas at Austin, Marshall began creating a mythological narrative set in a post-apocalyptic landscape with an “Everyman” protagonist named Lenny. Charged with rebuilding society, Lenny’s mission begins when a Bear presents him with a flag and a set of coordinates to guide him on his journey. Depicted here, the scene’s composition recalls the works of Romantic landscape painters like Caspar David Friedrich. In Marshall’s work across various media, nature does not simply provide a backdrop, but also functions as a muse. Lenny’s saga metaphorically refers to both art making and life itself and illustrates the symbiotic relationship between man and nature. The Bear Takes the Flag to Lenny depicts an imagined moment of creative inspiration and the start of an artistic journey