Jonah and the Whale

Jonah and the Whale: Videos of Unfolding Artist Books

The story of Jonah and the whale is one of the most familiar Old Testament narratives.

It tells the tale of a disobedient Hebrew prophet who defies the word of God, gets swallowed by a great fish during a storm at sea, is spit out onto dry land and goes on to redeem the sinning heathens.

Here is a short animated retelling of the story that you might enjoy and find illuminating.

Perhaps the two key points in the story of Jonah and the whale are:

First, even in our darkest moments of despair, all of us can find hope in God's love and holy words.

Second, that all people and nations are worthy of God's love, no matter how immoral they are.

These twin messages are often hard for the modern, scientific mind and sensibility to swallow.

Although the United Nations and various international treaties exist to keep the peace, and Prozac and other psychoactive drugs are available to manage depression and anxiety, the world is still often a chaotic and murderous place.

In the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 massacre and kidnapping of Israeli civilians by Islamic terrorists and the destruction of Gaza which followed, Jonah still speaks, on some level, to all the children of Abraham — Jews, Muslims and Christians.

These two small folding books are my attempt to make the bible story relevant to me and, hopefully, to the viewer.

Video of a recent “Jonah and the whale” captured off the coast of Chile.

Technical Notes:

The folding books are 4x6x1 inches in size and just 40 inches when spread out.

They contain torn mixed-media photographic collages and some original CPT-4 images.

This is the first time that I have used Artificial Intelligence-generated art in my artwork.

It is something new under the sun for me.

Prayers of the Bible: Jonah’s Prayer in Jonah 2:1-9

This passage from the Old Testament has always resonated with me:

1- From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.

2- He said:
In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help,
and you listened to my cry.

3- You hurled me into the depths,
into the very heart of the seas,
and the currents swirled about me;
all your waves and breakers
swept over me.

4- I said:
I have been banished
from your sight;
yet I will look again
toward your holy temple.

From the web page posted by Derek Charles Johnson