mare de déu amb el nen dormint (own work, 2009-2013, 50 x 40 x 60 cm, click on the image for enlargement)
`mother of god with the sleeping child' would be a too literal translation of the catalan title, see this previous post on some background of mare de déu.
you will notice that this sculpture is very different from the earlier statuette `sketch' that i made. the statuette has an active and playful jesus, joyfully interacting with maria. here, jesus is sleeping and maria seems in compassionate contemplation of ... the human condition, if i may interpret for you.
yet there are also great similarities between the two sculptures. the painting technique, and the ideas behind it for instance. in the painting, as in the form, i was looking for non-classical emotive expression.
detail of mare de déu amb el nen dormint (click on the image for enlargement)
detail of mare de déu amb el nen dormint (click on the image for enlargement)
detail of mare de déu amb el nen dormint (click on the image for enlargement)
again, in this madonna sculpture mother and child are not of the same skin colour. in my own small way, as a mostly humble artist, i try to comment on issues/conditions in society that i would like to see improved. one of those issues is the to me absurd one of racism. we are all human, we are one mankind. i have tried to put that feeling in this sculpture, as well as in its smaller predecessor madonna statuette (where i reversed the colours of mother and child).
about the painting: it was a long and arduous task. to achieve lustre and depth, many semi-transparent layers are needed. each layer requires a deft application, to maintain the same fluidity of the paint which is quick-drying. yet there are difficult nooks and crannies in this sculpture, where the brush can hardly reach. with my rsi this was really taxing. more taxing however was to achieve a harmonious balance of colours, with the spiritual atmosphere that i wanted.
some more pictures to give a more complete view (although photos really do not capture the serenity of this work):
side view of mare de déu amb el nen dormint (click on the image for enlargement)
side view of mare de déu amb el nen dormint (click on the image for enlargement)
detail of mare de déu amb el nen dormint (click on the image for enlargement)
side view of mare de déu amb el nen dormint (click on the image for enlargement)
