Thunder #2-'I Am She' Poster

Judith Laura has created a three-part series, or triptych, inspired by the text “The Thunder: Perfect Mind,” from the 4th century C.E. manuscripts unearthed in the 1940s usually called the Nag Hammadi Library, and usually classified as Coptic Gnostic, an early Christian sect. The Thunder scripture is often considered an exception to this classification. It contains no specific Christian, Jewish, or Gnostic allusions and scholars find that because of the concepts of immanence and other factors it does not fit as easily into the Gnostic category as the other texts. Its narrator is apparently a female deity, possibly called Thunder, which in Greek is a feminine noun. Scholars have remarked upon the similarity between statements in Thunder and previous Goddess texts, especially those of Isis. The text contains two different forms: seemingly paradoxical “I am “ proclamations, and reprimands for apparent moral or ethical failures. In her art, Judith Laura has chosen to focus on the apparently paradoxical statements. The background of all three panels is deep violet. Panel 2, "I Am She," contains statements from the middle section of the text. Judith Laura's art portrays the speaker as an enthroned Goddess. She wears the crown of Hathor, often seen in Isis images. Objects in the four corners represent festivals, of which she speaks. The words of the text are above and beneath her, and emanate from her hands, which are raised in the traditional pose of Goddess blessing. This panel is vertical. Background of digital original is deep violet; reproduction colour may vary slightly. Each panel can stand alone or be used as part of a triptych.