PHOTOS Paintings commissioned by Michael Jackson from artist David Nordahl
Over a 17-year period the King of Pop Michael Jackson commissioned a number of paintings and drawings from Sante Fe artist David Nordahl. Often fantastical and fairy talish, the art ranged from iconic portraits of the singer to commercial logos to elaborate scenes of Michael Jackson with groups of children. Some of the paintings can be seen hanging in Michael Jackson’s home in various documentaries filmed about the mega-star before his death in June of 2009.
Refuting concerns by some that the commissioned pieces give further insights into a mentally unstable person, Nordahl insists that the art is a reflection of Michael Jackson’s vivid imagination and sense of humor.
The work above is perhaps the most famous of the collection. Titled just Michael, the painting features a nearly nude Jackson striking a pose very similar to Michelangelo’s David with ten naked cherubs about him. Jackson is also holding a Pan flute, which suggests the “Pied Piper/Peter Pan” motif prevalent in a lot of the works.
This next one is titled The Triptych and features three images of Jackson in Arthurian poses. In one frame he is knighted, in another he is crowned King and in the central work he seems to have reached some sort of prophetic actualization, as emphasized by the words painted across the glowing sword:
I am the thinker, the thinking,
the thought
I am the seeker, the seeking,
the sought
I am the dewdrop, the sunshine,
the storm
I am the phenomenon, the field,
the form
I am the desert, the ocean,
the sky
I am the Primeval Self
In you and I
Michael Jackson
Click thumbnails to see larger images in the gallery:
The titles of the works in the gallery:
Michael
Prince, The Boy King
The Triptych
Field of Dreams
The Storyteller
Moonrise
Lost Boys Productions
Heal the World
Untitled charcoal drawing
Untitled charcoal drawing
Here is one of the life-sized untitled charcoal drawings taken from the 1988 Bad tour:
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