I took this picture at The Grotto in Portland. The Grotto sits on top of a huge hill, for Wisconsinites it'd be a mountain.Inside one building there is a replica of Michelangelo's Pieta. Of course, being a master work it is remarkable but it is so much more striking in person than in this photo--in some respects it is almost too perfect.
There was this angle (to the left), where the figures were both separate and linked, where you can feel the weight on Mary...emotionally and of Jesus' lifeless body. This piece sits in a room that is nearly empty, save a few viewing chairs, and the view of the trees, which somehow becomes a part of the room (below).
The place is mysterious, holy, beautiful and serene. It is a great place for reflection. It is so quiet.
My work of the Madonna pales in comparison but is derived from pieces of the same era. There is just a sense of sadness around them and it stirs my heart.What have I learned from this piece? I am captivated by the people of the Christmas story, their honor and faith are outstanding--and totally mind boggling. I look at images from the Renaissance and Enlightenment and wonder how close the artist got to the the real individual's look. It seems more fair to replicate a work of art, because then you aren't trying to get at the image of the real person, I'm not sure if that makes any sense to anyone but me.
This piece started as a collage of the neutral colored papers I saved from about 1995 through 2010. (The other items became a part of the piece I call "Charity".) This piece I call "Purity". The name is primarily because of the story the immaculate conception and Mary's holy reputation. It's too bad that Mary, the Madonna, has so much baggage associated with her because what she did and who she was is quite remarkable.
This particular image showed both beauty and pain. I'll have to scan the inspirational one sometime to post but it helped me realize how often that is the case. And it is also like the Bible verse that says something about "...beauty from ashes". Many situations over the last few years have spoken to that idea. I hope that I can continue to hold those ideas closely looking for the beauty in ashes of hopes and dreams.
The idea of purity itself is also something that is close to my heart. As a single female in today's world there is little in the way of conversation or media or whatever that seems to hold purity high. Holding purity as a value is tough as an American. Even Oprah did a show on 30 year old virgins, her staff was so hung up on how rare that is. It all makes me sad. There is a place and a time for things. We've been handed some guidelines for the healthiest version of life, the type of life that keeps our spirits healthy and available to God.
The issue of purity is so big, you can go hundreds of directions with it. All I know is that I see a lot fewer heartbreaks, and value issues, with friends that endorse sexual purity and abstain from binge drinking or drugs than I see with those who indulge. But the desire for purity is often linked to your relationship with a higher power, so it is probably pretty important to start there...
