Digging for Light 2015

Editor: Jason Limon's "Digging for Light," created in 2015, is quite the curious painting. Those skeletal figures, their geometric headwear, the whole ritualistic setup…it has a whimsical yet slightly unsettling vibe. What strikes you most when you look at it? Curator: The visual language is steeped in alchemical symbolism, isn’t it? Notice the text "Lux in Tenebris"—light in darkness—inscribed on the jar. The skeletons, adorned with what appear to be crystal pyramids, participate in a ritual to extract light from within the vessel. This reflects a core alchemical theme: transformation, extracting the essential from the base. What do you make of the ribbons that read "Tene" and "Bris?" Editor: Maybe abbreviated words? Tenebris—darkness, again—and perhaps, *putative guess*, “Briser," which in French is “to break”? Like breaking the darkness? The artist’s created a world with its own secret symbology. Curator: Precisely. It suggests the arduous, sometimes morbid, path toward enlightenment. The skeletons are not mere symbols of death but rather agents of change, digging—as the title suggests—to reveal a hidden truth, with light representing knowledge, insight. They remind me of a “memento mori," yet actively pursuing knowledge beyond mortality. Do you see echoes of earlier artistic traditions? Editor: I can see those echoes—like Baroque vanitas paintings. It seems that Limon updates those older symbols with more contemporary, surreal twists, like the wands. Curator: Indeed. The artist plays with enduring symbols, refreshing their meanings for a modern audience. The painting invites us to contemplate cycles of death and rebirth, constantly seeking deeper understandings. A good metaphor. Editor: Absolutely, seeing it like that, it has opened my eyes. Thanks so much! Curator: A pleasure! We have all shed some light on “Digging for Light."