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Kerry's Gallery
Kerry:
--- Quote from: sel on April 29, 2009, 03:46:12 pm ---Hi Kerry,
I like the angel represented by the beam of light, her body, but for some reason I am finding the expression on her face disquieting, may be it is the pointed tongue.
Next time I am in Rome I shall go the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria to see the Bernini's sculpture.
--- End quote ---
I know what you mean about the tongue, Sel. Lots of people don't like it. I didn't deliberately set-out to paint it that way. It just emerged of its own accord as I painted the picture. Like the absence of clothing. I've had much adverse comment about the depiction of a naked nun. I have no explanation for that, either, though. Again, it was something that just emerged involuntarily from the canvas as I painted the picture.
If I was pressed for an explanation, I guess I'd have to say that I was somewhat fixated at the time by the subject matter of a cloistered nun in ecstasy; an ecstasy that appeared to be just a tiny tad less than spiritual to me. Bernini appears to have depicted Teresa panting, with her mouth gaping open and head lolling backwards. If not panting, she certainly appears to be moaning. I took that one step further and portrayed her shrieking and salivating. I was very interested in the paintings of gay English artist, Francis Bacon, at the time. He was fond of painting screaming popes. I've sometimes thought that maybe Francis Bacon was perhaps whispering in my ear as I painted this picture.
injest:
well I dont know anything about religious imagery but I have seen many religious paintings that have nudity in them so that didnt' shock me. the tongue did give me pause!!
sel:
--- Quote from: Kerry on April 29, 2009, 07:27:15 pm ---I know what you mean about the tongue, Sel. Lots of people don't like it. I didn't deliberately set-out to paint it that way. It just emerged of its own accord as I painted the picture. Like the absence of clothing. I've had much adverse comment about the depiction of a naked nun. I have no explanation for that, either, though. Again, it was something that just emerged involuntarily from the canvas as I painted the picture.
If I was pressed for an explanation, I guess I'd have to say that I was somewhat fixated at the time by the subject matter of a cloistered nun in ecstasy; an ecstasy that appeared to be just a tiny tad less than spiritual to me. Bernini appears to have depicted Teresa panting, with her mouth gaping open and head lolling backwards. If not panting, she certainly appears to be moaning. I took that one step further and portrayed her shrieking and salivating. I was very interested in the paintings of gay English artist, Francis Bacon, at the time. He was fond of painting screaming popes. I've sometimes thought that maybe Francis Bacon was perhaps whispering in my ear as I painted this picture.
--- End quote ---
Absolutely!
Kerry:
This is the first painting I ever sold. Ha! That sounds like I’ve sold lots of paintings, which isn’t the case. Like so many artists, I’m not good at marketing my product. I’m happy when I sell a painting but it doesn’t trouble me that I’ve not sold vast numbers of painting. Hey! I’ve sold more paintings than Vincent Van Gogh ever did! ;) :laugh:
This is another, entirely different, take on Bernini’s “Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.” One can still see the lolling head and panting mouth, as depicted by Bernini, but the entire atmosphere surrounding this representation of the ecstatic saint differs vastly from my previous painting. The previous painting is brutally graphic. It could be described as ugly. Whereas there’s something more mystical about this painting. Could be the pseudo stained glass abstraction which lends an element of the cloister to the imagery.
This painting is rendered in oils and Conte pastels on canvas. It is 90cm x 60cm (3ft x 2ft). Apologies for the poor quality of the image. It is a scan of a hardcopy photograph. I can’t take a digital photograph, because I no longer have access to the painting.
The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa
injest:
how interesting!! a mixture of styles? I get a sense of a voluptious woman and sensuality..
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