Harvest: Book III of the Trilogy Renaissance: Healing the Great Divide

By Barry Woods Johnston

The Book of Job is relevant to this third trilogy book, Harvest, because dialogue, even if antagonistic, is part of the growth process and matures us out of our problems and into an awareness of broader concerns. The pitfall to writing an autobiography is retaining perspective. Too easily, the writer can sli

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lime Press LLC
• Release date: Sep 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781955255257

Barry Woods Johnston

After graduating in architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology, studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and National Academy of Design, and serving in Vietnam in 1968 as a Combat Artist, I pursued European methods of art and architecture, living in Florence, Italy, between 1970 and 1972 and in Pietrasanta, Italy, at the Tommasi Foundry between 1985 to 1988. I established a studio in Washington, D.C. for seventeen years, and finally settled into my present studio in Baltimore, MD. As a practicing sculptor for over fifty years and an architectural designer, my primary focus has been on humanity. My sculptures are light and lively while complimenting their architectural setting. I seek to visualize fundamental emotions in three dimensions and breathe life into them. While adding levity, movement, and humanity, my designs are derived from abstract forms symbolically embodying the overall vision. I break down my sculptural visions into the most fundamental abstract shapes - circles, triangles, and squares, allowing those images to emerge as found in nature. I then integrate that abstraction into a realistic statement, seeking to stir universal feelings in others.

Book preview

A Review

As I turned the pages and began reading this odyssey of Barry Johnston, as a veteran and artist, my interest increased, and I was pleased that I had agreed to review it. ‘Flourish: Renaissance: Healing the Great Divide’ is not a book of fiction, nor a novel but an autobiography of a modern renaissance man, but a man no less, with all his foibles, his successes, failures, fears, and frustrations laid out with surgical precision in the cold reality of life’s twists and turns. Viet Nam leaves an open wound Barry struggles to understand. He is empathic to the wrongs inflicted on the innocent whether from war or life itself. His nature is sculpting figurative art imbued with his concerns for humanity. He joins a religious art colony in the Swiss Alps known as L’Abri where Barry argues with the founder Francis Schaefer over interpretations of the Scriptures and wrestles with his own spirit over the contradictions. Never at peace, he’s at odds with the commercial art establishment for commissions, and he reflects on failed marriages after a near heart attack he barely survives. Barry reveals himself with honesty and a humanity which make this a compelling biography and a historical account of a representational artist, veteran and inventor.

Daniel Shea

Veterans for Peace

Artist and Human Rights Activist

The author, in telling his story, sought to be as truthful as humanly possible. However, admittedly the information herein represents his own perspective; If others have a different slant, let them write their own insights. To protect those who may be innocent, some names have been changed.

An Acknowledgement

In creating Flourish, I want to thank those special individuals who stepped into my creative process, like my sister, Elizabeth Johnston, who helped gather some of the material, edited and provided support; my mother, Lucile Johnston, who contributed many hours gathering and editing material about the family; Daniel Shea, Board of Directors of ‘Veterans for Peace,’ for his valuable comments and moral support; and Oswald Copeland, a professional critic and writer, who, although I can’t say always agreed with my efforts, gave astute and forthright feedback that was immensely helpful. Also, I wish to very strongly thank Dr. Ruth Margraff for reading, editing and commenting on my book. Her editorial skills and in-depth knowledge of the subject, as a professor of creative writing at the Chicago Institute of Art and as the daughter of a minister, made a huge difference in the quality of the final product. Finally, I wish to heartily thank my long-lost lady friend, Kinga Revesz, who I met forty-eight years ago in the Bruegel exhibit of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria, but who, because she was then behind the Iron Curtain, our relationship was only allowed to resume forty-five years later. Her structural suggestions were invaluable. To all, I am deeply grateful.

The Cover

The cover is a fusion of the sculptures Saint Francis and Global Madness. Saint Francis was created in 2000 in bronze 38 high and expresses aspirations for a positive future as revealed in the coming pages. Global Madness was created in 1988 in bronze, is 35 x 64, and like Picasso’s Guernica," depicts the destruction of innocence resulting from the utter mindlessness and inhumanity of war.

In Memory of

Ho Chi Minh’s letters to President Truman, appealing for Vietnam independence, were put into a cabinet drawer and forgotten. Truman never saw them. Thus, over 200 thousand U.S. soldiers died in the War or committed suicide afterward. This book acknowledges their memory and gives homage to the millions of North and South Vietnamese seeking national independence.

Dedicated to the artist’s mother Lucile who dearly loved the Holy Scriptures

If one day represents the existence of our planet, "Humans emerge

one minute and seventeen seconds before midnight." – Bill Bryson

We have every right to stand up and resist extinction.

Contents

A Review

An Acknowledgement

The Cover

In Memory of

Introduction

The Trilogy

III. Harvest: Trials of a Modern Job

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Analogue

About the Author

Clarion Review

Table of Poems

Layers of a Nucleus

God and Man

Harmony and Dissonance

Airborne

A Child Weeps

Table of Images

1. Mandala

2. God and the devil negotiate Job’s fate

3. God allows the devil to smite Job with sores

4. Job loses all

5. All sit in mourning

6. Job says he fears God

7. Job opens his mouth and curses the day

8. Wedlock

9. Wedlock

10. Psyche and Cupid

11. Proposed Vietnam Veterans Memorial

12. Finish Line

13. Faust

14. Proposed Chapel for the Sharon Johnston County Park

15. One

16. Job asks comforters to not leave him but to stop picking on him

17. Tree of Life

18. Global Madness – The Cold War

19. Fisherman of Men

20. Job says such friends he doesn’t need

21. Job tells comforters the facts of life

22. Job tries to stand

23. Jerome Hines as Boris Godunov Portrait, created by memory

24. Bildad says the weight of Job’s sins imprisons him

25. Joseph Sold into Egypt

26. King Lear

27. Zophar airs the ways of the wicked

28. First from the Sea; First to the Stars

29. Ballerina

30. The Thinker

31. The Bather

32. Eliphaz asks Job, What did you do?

33. Joy

34. Martin Luther

35. Mother Teresa

36. Good Samaritan

37. Hamlet

38. Orpheus and the Underworld

39. Court Jester

40. Whipping Up Spring

41. Puck

42. Jacob and the Angel

43. First Kiss

44. DNA Maypole

45. Yin Yang

46. Faith, Hope and Love

47. Faith, Hope and Love (on site)

48. Proposed 9/11 Memorial

49. Proposal for Opera Place

50. Saint Francis

51. Job gives final testimony

52. In all of this, where is wisdom?

53. Elihu, the youth, gives long statement

54. Job speaks with God in a whirlwind

55. The Abyss

57. Job prays for comforters

58. Job is healed

59. Job as an old man

60. Celebration

Introduction

The Book of Job is relevant to this third trilogy book, Harvest, because dialogue, even if antagonistic, is part of the growth process and matures us out of our problems and into an awareness of broader concerns. The pitfall to writing an autobiography is retaining objectivity. Too easily, the writer can slip into self-flattery and lose objectivity. Carl Yung chose the Book of Job to draw his patients out of their self-absorption into full maturity as responsible adults. For psychological healing to occur through therapeutics, Sigmund Fraud’s dream analysis encouraged self-absorbing. Fraud and Yung worked together. Their parting was over the relationship between a mother and son. Fraud averred the maternal relationship centered around the incestuous Oedipus Complex. Yung said the connection is spiritual. First, of course, to achieve healing, we must dig deep into our past and identify issues that contribute to our psychological makeup. That is self-absorbing. However, complete emotional and psychological healing happens when we put these problems in our past. We are well when we grow out of dwelling on our past and take responsibility for who we are in the present.

In 1971, in an effort to get to the core of my faith, I created the below sculpture, the Mandala. In expressing this core perception of my life, this work takes the form of a mushroom cloud or a tree (see image 1). The word Mandala originated in ancient Sanskrit, meaning a circular motif surrounding a central figure usually used for religious adoration. Although inspired by many diverse influences, primarily, it metaphysically interprets Einstein’s formula for his Theory of Relativity in human terms, E = mC². Thus, Elohim (E), the ancient Hebrew term for judgmental God, is seen as equal (=) to mass (m) (matter, material, or mankind) times the Christ (C), the light of the world squared, both in death and resurrection. Facing on one side is a figure of Christ reaching out to His believers. On the opposite is the Christ crucified. The two figures, back to back, represent a transferal of energy. Both hover over the crushed heads of serpents while surrounded by a celebrating host. I wrote the Trilogy Renaissance: Healing the Great Divide to enlighten and provide perspective for myself and others where we now stand in history.

I love my country and want only that we become what our Founding Fathers envisioned. I’m aware that much of my troubles resulted from my impatience with the excessive abrasion of our times. But creativity demands a certain give and take. Obsessive power and the quest for money have swept us astray from realizing much of our humanity and potential. The suffering caused by the Black Plague, which killed off about half of Europe, contributed to the emergence of the Italian Renaissance. This horrible human crisis forced Europeans to seek more substantive values, then providing the backbone and inward resilience of the Renaissance. The Crusaders brought this tragedy to Europe, but they also brought three other positive influences – the high mathematics of the Muslim world, the teachings of Socrates and Plato, and the lessons of the ancient Greco-Roman world. Also, a fourth inherent influence dominated Europe, the lessons taught in the Old Testament and the New concerning the life of Jesus. The stories about Jesus were personal and full of humanity. Although much of the art commissioned was based on the same subject matter, Renaissance artists were free to express these insights as they affected their individual lives. Because of these influences, artists and scientists had a clear sense of purpose and identity. Their inner resilience enabled them to hold off military attacks from the Moorish Empire and retain stability while dealing with the numerous French invasions.

1. Mandala

Today, moderns give little attention to core philosophical issues and values. Most of us do not even believe in core values, nor do we believe that truth exists other than that revealed by science, and even that is questionable. Because of our dependency on mass means and methods, we inherently fear being manipulated by mass influences while being infatuated with Modernism. Of course, mass production in industries dramatically improves the quality of our physical lives. If taken away from us, we would immediately regress to our former uncivilized self. Yet, what of the quality of our inner lives as reflected through our art? What of the personal values that build quality relationships? Are our values positive or negative? Should value judgments be shunned as dogmas and, thus, deemed fanatical. Certainly, our art expresses either banal common objects like Oldenburg’s 45’ Clothespen in Philadelphia or, as with Abstract Expressionism, no assertions at all. Although we are continually bombarded with commercial influences, personal values or moral beliefs tend to be shunned or ignored. Values seem to be in direct conflict with making money in the stock market.

This is the exact opposite of what occurred during the Renaissance. For me, substance contributes to the value of art. Yet, progressively, we have indulged ourselves while increasingly avoiding defining core issues and values. Miraculously, other than the Great Depression, Americans have been spared from internal disaster for a hundred and fifty years, ever since the Civil War. Although we naïvely perch on the precipice of the mounting debt which threatens to cascade civilization into endless chaos and potential oblivion, we rally around our immediate prosperity. Although core values that express our humanity would build up societal resilience, in contrast, the economic movements have defined the dominant art movements and ignore societal concerns. An art imbued with humanity could foster inner strength and resilience. Such inner strength would improve our chances of survival. Any measure of truth concerning our human nature can only be determined by its consistency and impact on our stability. And our core values must be personal, not propagated by mass commercial brainwashing or political dogmas. Our values must come through personal revelations and insights gained in the pursuit of truth.

The Mandala (see image 1) also resembles the Chinese Thousand Layered Ball shown to me in 1970 by a monk at the Fiesole Archeological Museum. This ball, comprising numerous concentric layers, symbolizes an odyssey through the many layers of the mind to the core of our identity. Although written as an autobiography, I’ve sought to bring the reader through a process of self-discovery. The first book, Seed, of the Trilogy Renaissance: Healing the Great Divide, carries the reader through my process of self-analysis as I progress deeper into the source of my inner frustration. The second book, Flourish: Democracy or Hypocrisy, of the Trilogy Renaissance: Healing the Great Divide, takes a historical approach by comparing the Renaissance to life in the States. The third book, Harvest: Trials of a Modern Job, looks at the underpinning influences that define our society and economy. However, in voyaging into the psyche’s inner world, Harvest reverses the healing process, drawing the reader out of the self-absorption that is so prevalent in the first book and into greater maturity and a broader awareness of our common concerns.

Note, this is not a book on how to become a market success. It is about one artist’s struggle to make sense of his times, about striving to bridge the gap between reality and possibility, about what it takes to be an artist. As our times become enveloped by the monolithic influence of Modernism, developing ideas is not enough. We need workable values and insights that address and serve the greater good. According to Socrates, the most fundamental virtue is serving others. Our depth of character naturally sets us apart from the trends and whims of our impersonal technocratic society and commercial economy. In transcending the negativity, we place our feet firmly on solid bedrock, in a space where we can be most human and can best realize our inner potential so we can help others to do the same. Survival depends on making ourselves useful. As our goals address the vital issues, our purpose becomes equally vital. But, as one friend once put it, Cemeteries are full of people who the world cannot do without. We should realize! None of us are indispensable. Let our efforts be to serve the greater good. Let our life’s calling reflect our concern for humanity!

The Trilogy

This three-book trilogy seeks to establish enduring values that will strengthen our sense of humanity. The trilogy’s narrative unfolds in three parts: First, this book, Seed, applies a Jungian approach to uncover the disparaging influences of my youth that once blocked my potential so to encourage the reader to do the same. The second book, Flourish, takes the reader on a journey into the lives of many inspiring artists who have spurred a flourishing of Western civilization while comparing the creative period of the Italian Renaissance with our times, in hopes of providing a clearer understanding of what has driven meaningful periods of enlightenment. The reader is encouraged to look at those universal qualities in human nature that will help us realize our inner potential. The second book transitions into the English Renaissance and Shakespeare and looks through his eyes at our modern times. The third book, of the trilogy, Harvest, illuminates the confusion in my life, as one artist, in this brave new world, as I reverse my psychological journey and transition out of self-absorption, as taught by Carl Jung, countering the narcissism of self-reflection by journeying outward, as taught by the biblical Job. The quest seeks to dispel those influences that stand in the way of our becoming more fully human and compassionate toward others.

PART III

HARVEST

Chapter 1

Harmony or Dissonance

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

- Leonardo da Vinci

Vaguely, I remember awakening in my hospital bed with Joe and his wife hovering over, expressing concern. Yet, if Soony is again leaving me, awaking to a future of uncertainties, these three friends and those in our covenant group simply will not accept her decision and give me peace so I can move on. The fault is on me, of course. I’m the man. So, disapprovingly, even as I lie here healing, they make their blanket judgments. In their chastising me, harboring relentless and unmerciful assumptions, reproaching my lifestyle, where I can, I avoid their put-downs. I allow my mind to drift and reminisce about events long gone by. As a sculptor, I think multidimensional anyway. So, drifting in and out of consciousness, sleep becomes a natural healer. Still, my friends will give me no peace. Even in my dreams, they come knocking on my door after church. This Sunday afternoon, Eli Fass, Joe Farr, Bill Dadd, and a young man, Elan Hou, appear at my doorstep, requesting we take a walk together and talk. They decide on the trail through Leakin Park, where Eli and I trekked a few days earlier. Two miles out, we settle around a picnic table under a cluster of trees as if a casual get-together.

These are the late years of the Bush, Jr., administration. Some in our church are uneasy about the upcoming election, supporting Bush, even over the Iraqi war. It’s hard to imagine how political winners can implement such a plan, considering the consequences of past failures. Yet, they forge ahead. And, of course, all rests on hope the truth will be revealed in time. But, to such politicians, the damages done are seen as a mere ‘oops.’ Of course, quite often, one administration’s political mistakes spill over into the next. History should never forget that the Bush family placed Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden in power.

Notwithstanding Saddam was a tyrant, yet such ‘oops’ continue as our leaders muster our armies to wage even more war as if business as usual. There has been no long-range planning concerning the consequences of our move into Iraq. Any long-range planning would have protected the Baghdad Archeological Museum against the horrific vandalism. If responsibly planned, they would have had the wisdom to recommission the Iraqi Army under the newly elected leadership. Instead, Iraqi troops were scattered only to reemerge as insurgences.

2. God and the devil negotiate Job’s fate

3. God allows the devil to smite Job with sores

Their ‘oops’ cost thousands of U.S. lives and tens of thousands wounded, not to mention the many innocent Iraqi civilians killed. In Afghanistan, the once U.S.-backed Taliban in a joint fight against Russia is now our enemy. Debatably, the fight has enflamed the growth of terrorism as much as deterred it. Yet, although many victims have suffered under the yoke of their oops, we are obliged to smile and say, ‘Oh, well, that’s OK. Just bring on whatever next wave of intervention your arrogance might imagine’ (see image 4).

4. Job loses all

5. All sit in mourning

Perusing around the park table, I wonder if I dare share my feelings (see image 5). This past year, I had severely disagreed with two here about our U.S. role in the Middle East. Believing in the Constitution and the fundamental principles of democracy for them doesn’t seem enough. In my mind, America should promote justice and freedom around the World, not infringe on internal affairs with force. We need to lead by example. But true strength comes from within. Democracies encourage open debate and allow reason to prevail. The beauty of the American Constitution is its checks and balances. If ‘reason’ prevails, the most transparent and effective way to achieve democratic consensus is to allow those in pain to have a voice. If we, as a people, listen to one another at home and to the needs of others abroad, they will listen to us. Wherever reason, truth, and justice triumph, civilization advances. Historically, the arts and sciences flourish when there’s a benevolent commitment to truth and justice. The arts prevail where freedom, democracy, and justice succeed. However, also individuals must be obliged to take the initiative and responsibility. Such extraordinary periods in history, such as in ancient Greece, flourished because, in their quest for truth, justice, and freedom, also individuals were encouraged to take responsibility for their actions. The Florentine Renaissance happened because reason prevailed. Then and amidst any rise of democracy, enlightenment encourages internal growth and greater resilience. The fine art of France emerged with the democratization of Europe and the ‘Age of Enlightenment.’ Around 1900, America’s ‘Age of Democracy’ encouraged significant innovation and creativity. Specifically, the Bill of Rights provides the guarantee that responsible individuals can realize their potential. And interestingly, democracies do not war against one another.

However, freedom is not free. Freedom must be earned and protected. America had lost its way when reneging its promise to hold Vietnam elections after the French left. At the time, America was trusted to keep its word. Yes, Ho Chi Minh would have been elected, but he was the respected and beloved popular leader. He had reached out to America for support long before the War. To promote democracy, we were obliged to honor the democratic process by holding an election. In Vietnam, instead, the War forced Ho Chi Minh out of the picture and heralded in Ton Due Thang’s ruthless and war-hardened dictatorship. Whereas Ho Chi Minh was willing to work with America as a democracy, Ton Due Thang, a highly decorated member of the Communist Party, seized control. America had lost its way when it reneged on its commitment to democratic principles and, instead, pursued the purely pragmatic agenda of the Military-Industrial Complex. To bring about World peace that is free of tyranny, we must practice our democracy at home and abroad.

6. Job says he fears God

My first friend, Eli Hou, is a poet and scholar. He amazingly helped me during my recent heart crisis by urging me to take the stress test, which revealed my condition. So, he probably saved my life. He’s an eloquent speaker