File:Jacqueline Thurston Song of the Bear 1991.jpg

Photographic object by Jacqueline Thurston, Song of the Bear (Cibachrome photographic print, letterpress printing on handmade paper and handcrafted wooden box, 1991). The image illustrates the distinct direction and medium of the artwork Jacqueline Thurston produced in the 1990s when she turned to highly symbolic series combining Cibachrome color photographs with the written word. The image belongs to her "Cycle of Songs" series, a ten-year consideration of the feminine spirit embodied in the natural world that consisted of icon-like "photo-objects" combined color images of carefully lit tableaux and original poems letterpress printed on handmade paper in handcrafted wooden containers. The series explored shamanic women in touch with the primal forces of nature such as the elements of earth and moon. This body of work and individual piece were publicly exhibited in prominent exhibitions and discussed by critics in major art journals and daily press publications.

Jacqueline Thurston official website. Copyright held by the artist.

Jacqueline Thurston

Entire artwork

Yes. The image will not affect the commercial value of the original work or limit the copyright holder's rights or ability to distribute the original due to its low resolution and the general workings of the art market, which values the actual work of art. Because of the low resolution, illegal copies could not be made.

The image has contextual significance in that it serves an informational and educational purpose as the primary means of illustrating the artwork of a distinct period and medium in Jacqueline Thurston's career in the 1990s when she shifted to Cibachrome color photographic series that juxtaposed her images with her own written words. These works took the form of talismanic "photo objects" and artist books, which explored shamanistic connections to nature, the creative process in relation to memory, dream and autobiography, and the psychoanalytic roots of symbol and metaphor. They were noted for their visual simple elegance and for the enigmatic and mythic quality of the imagery, both textual and visual, which often drew upon the talismanic qualities of the still-life objects. They were a significant departure from her earlier black-and-white psychological documentary approach. Because the article is about an artist and her work, the omission of the image would significantly limit a reader's understanding and ability to understand this key period and specific medium in her work, as well as the narrative trajectory of her career. This work brought Thurston new recognition through exhibitions, coverage by major critics and publications and museum acquisitions. Thurston's work of this type and this specific work and series are discussed in the article and by critics cited in the article.

There is no free equivalent of this or any other of this series by Jacqueline Thurston, nor could one be created to serve this purpose, so the image cannot be replaced by a free image.

The image use is minimal in that the whole image must be used to properly represent the art—a partial usage would misrepresent it. Further, because the artist produced very distinct bodies of work in terms of medium, subject and aesthetic, this image is required to accurately convey a significant and highly relevant period of her career.