2020

acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches

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The Whirlwind Is in the Thorn Tree bears a title inspired by lyrics from the 2002 song "The Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash. This song was Cash's last composition before his death and is full of "prophetic imagery" as well as "subdued fury and beauty" (Carr).  Throughout the song, numerous biblical references are made, particularly from the Book of Revelation. Cash was inspired by a dream in which Queen Elizabeth II compared him to "a thorn tree in a whirlwind” (Songfacts). Cash was reportedly haunted by the dream and speculated that it might be a biblical reference. He ended up finding a similar Biblical passage in Job 38:1: “And so the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, or tempest …” A close-up view of

the signifiers of eagle talons grasping a rose branch also refers to 2 Corinthians 12:7, which

describes a thorn in the flesh.

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Collection of Steve Liggett

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© Melanee Hamilton

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