ABSTRACT
Although most of his works from 1929 to 1936 were non-landscape thematic series, Raymond Jonson produced his first totally non-representational paintings in 1933 to 1937. Jonson's goal from the beginning of his career was to effectively visualize, express and convey the spiritual in painting. Interlocked Forms in Space of 1937 is a good example of Jonson's most visually successful efforts with biomorphic imagery. Southwest Arrangement, an intriguing oil on canvas of 1933, is an unusual painting for Jonson because it is one of only a few that he did that reflects the influence of Native American art on his developing abstract sensibilities. In Southwest Arrangement, Jonson approached the designs aesthetics found in various objects made by the indigenous cultures of the Southwest with external curiosity but not anthropological scrutiny, yet he was able to adapt what he learned for his own aesthetic needs without denigrating his sources.
