William Thomas Thompson.
(b. 1935, South Carolina)
Beast of Revelations, Chapter 12.
2004.
Signed 'Thomas' bottom right.
Titled and dated verso.
Paint on canvas.
Excellent condition.
Image is 18"w x 24"h.
Frame with applied red neon is 25"w x 31"h.
Provenance: Purchased directly from the artist.
Ted and Ann Oliver Collection.
The Mike Dale Collection.
Est. $1,000-$1,500.
Buyer is responsible for shipping.

William Thomas Thompson, who lives and works in Greenville, South Carolina, built up a million-dollar business as a wholesaler of artificial flowers, and then expanded his business from the United States to Hong Kong. Struck with a rare autoimmune disorder, Guillain-Barre syndrome, in 1987, Thompson's world was further shattered when, just one year later, his highly successful business collapsed. While attending a church service in Hawaii in 1989, Thompson "saw a vision of the coming of the Lord and the world on fire." Thompson regarded this vision as "an unmistakable command to paint what I saw."

The next day, Thompson bought canvas, brushes, and acrylic paints, determined to commit his vision to canvas. A man in his fifties, with no prior interest or experience in the arts, faithfully obeyed what he considered a divine order. This was no easy task, since his neurological disease caused uncontrollable shaking, pain, and weakness in his shoulders and arms, hands, and legs, and has since paralyzed Thompson below the knees. Since that time, Thompson has created hundreds of works. About half of these paintings are biblical in nature, and often come from the book of Revelations. The Beast of Revelations in the painting offered here is true to the description in the scriptures, with seven heads and ten horns. The Angel Appearing to Shepherd painting is an early work derived from the book of Luke, Chapter 2, which heralds the birth of Christ. Other paintings by Thompson deal with social injustice themes. Thompson's work is in the permanent collection of The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore and was featured in Raw Vision Magazine #33 and #104.