COSMIC THEME NO. THREE,
RAYMOND JONSON
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about the artist
"Cosmic Theme No. Three." Raymond Jonson.
Raymond Jonson was born July 18th, 1891 in Chariton, Iowa. Jonson was always around art. In 1909 he became the first student to enroll in the Museum Art School of the Portland Art Association. He then moved to Chicago to attend the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, and later the Art Institute of Chicago. From 1912 to 1917 he worked as the lighting, stage set, costume, and graphics designer for the Chicago Little Theatre. His techniques and invention of a nine-switch dimmer board to intensify lighting effects gained him international popularity. In 1934, Raymond Jonson began teaching painting one day a week at the University of New Mexico and in 1950 he began teaching at the University of New Mexico full time. His commitment to teaching resulted in him living in a studio full time on campus to be close to his students and work.
In his paintings, Jonson wanted to focus on his “unifying principle” which meant that his paintings incorporated his emotional, intellectual, and physical experiences. He valued instinct, and intuition, as well as spirituality. As part of the Modernist movement, Jonson formed the Transcendental Painting Group which focused on taking art beyond the physical world by shifting planes and composition to encourage imagination and spirituality. His painting “Cosmic Theme. No. Three” reflects these ideas and movements.
The intention of “Cosmic Theme. No. Three” was to create an imaginative space rather than a realistic one. He also insisted that the intention of his painting is “to arrive at a state of pure feeling; to create through the spirit rather than the physical; to deal with shapes, forms and color in such a way that they appear to expose the spirit of man rather than his physical being…” (Owings Gallery).
more works by jonson
"Variations on a Rhythm." Raymond Jonson. 1931.
more works by the
transcendental painting group
"Oversoul."
Emil Bisttram.
"Ahmi in Egypt."
Agnes Pelton.
"The word Transcendental has been chosen as a name for the group because it best expresses its aim, which is to carry painting beyond the appearance of the physical world, through new concepts of space, color, light and design, to imaginative realms that are idealistic and spiritual."
-The Transcendental Painting Group manifesto (1938)
"Earth Rhythms No. 3." Raymond Jonson. 1925.
"Arroyo No. 2." Raymond Jonson. 1922.
"Improvisation No. 2." Raymond Jonson. 1943.
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Watch this short documentary on the life and times of Raymond Jonson, produced by PBS in New Mexico— the place where he spent the majority of his adult creative life.
Listen to curators from the University of New Mexico Art Museum discuss the work of Raymond Jonson and their attachment to it. The museum has over 600 pieces from his body of work.
Jonson was highly inspired by his work as a lighting and technical designer during the avant garde theatre movement in 1910s Chicago. Watch this short video about the magic of lighting the stage and think about how Jonson incorporated the atmospheric world of the lit stage into Cosmic Theme No. Three and his other work.