Provenance and Sources

The original drawing was created in the spring of 1968, drawn on newsprint paper with felt marker pen.  From this image a rubylith stencil was hand cut and (2) editions of silk screen prints were pulled, the last edition of (11) in July of 1969. Of these prints the artist can account for (3) that have survived.  One of these was photographed and transformed to a vector image in Adobe Illustrator, from which the current giclee print was made.

The title is from the Popol Vuh, an account of the Mayan creation myth. Sudden Thunderbolt was one of the primordial deities active in the three attempts to create humanity.

 For the artist, the original creation of this image was like a sudden thunderbolt, drawn freehand with no planning or preliminary sketches.

 Mayan art and Architecture – In 1962 the artist’s brother visited ancient Mayan ruins in the region of the Usumacinta River in southern Mexico.  Images which he brought back made a strong impression on the artist. The stele shown below left is from from Placeres, Campeche, Mexico.

The artist, at this time, was also strongly influenced by the etchings and woodcuts of the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Durer, exemplified by The Four Horsemen, from The Apocalypse, below right.

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