​Oil on Canvas, 120" x 96

Eugene Delacroix original painted Liberty as a way to commemorate the revolution of 1830. Thelen chose this subject as a way to convey the certainty and conviction of the experience of liberty. With very bold movements and rich coloring, the female figure of liberty anchors and relieves the fallen and confused surrounding soldiers.     

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​Oil on Canvas, 132" x 96"

Playing off of Théodore Géricault's original 1819 composition, which illustrates the leftover crew of a shipwrecked French frigate off the coast of Senegal after a 13 day odyssey of brutality and despair ,Thelen uses strong and pronounced gestural marks for the crew members hopefully calling for rescue, and lighter, more loose and soft marks for the crew members who have given up hope and are nearing death. 

​Oil on Canvas, 66" x 80"

Using light washes to create a sense of hope in his last painting of the series, Madonna and Child illuminates a sense of relief and comfort in anothers protection and care.  

​Oil on Canvas, 78" x 96"

From Peter Paul Rubens 1614 original, Rembrandt van Rijn depicted a more simplified version in 1634. In 2009, Thelen takes the composition of the Descent a step further. Through his light and yet pronounced gestural circles and the layering of thick layers of wax on the figure of Christ, Thelen amplifies the agony and sorrow of Christ's physical removal from his 6 hours on the cross.   

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​133" x 96" Oil on canvas

​OIl on Canvas, 70" x 90"

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Mary & Joseph, Oil on Canvas, 53"w x 64"h