How I made a painting in 4 weeks.

 

Sounds are the aftereffect of the painting. 

The painting was done in egg-tempera on wood, 3 x 8 ft 

 at Glo Art Center in Neerharen-Lanaken 

Belgium in 2016

 

Jan Gillissen assisted me in applying the 24K gold leaf. 

 

I look at Western medieval paintings and contemporary pop culture through a play of well-established symbols to compose a new, personal narrative that questions the role of each symbol in disseminating information to a contemporary audience. 

 

The title of this painting is a quote by Homer Simpson: “I’ve always wondered if there was a God. And now I know there is—and it’s me” In short, I envisioned a scenario In which Mikey Mouse holds the dead body of Jesus, right after his crucifixion, in front of a levitating iPhone, from which the face of Jesus pops out and looks at himself. Behind the iPhone, there is an icon of Virgin Marry and baby Jesus without a head. The narrative continues to the right with Homer Simpson looking at the viewers in disbelief. Behind Homer, there are two figures from a medieval painting by Jan Gossaert that look at the hole left in Jesus’ foot after He was taken off the Cross from the Golgotha mountain depicted in the background. You can also notice a small batman sign on a cross, far in the distance.      

 

The list of symbols used, from left to right:

 

-1. Mickey Mouse, 

 

-2. Jesus Christ from the Albrecht Dürer’s engraving entitled “Die Beweinung Christi”, 

 

-3. An iPhone with the head of Christ, 

 

-4. Byzantine Icon, 14th Century, Constantinople, from the National Museum of Art, Washington DC, USA   

 

-5. Homer Simpson 

 

-6. the foot of Christ from the Albrecht Dürer’s print entitled “The Trinity”, 

 

-7. A figure from the painting “Saint Jerome Penitent oil on panel, c. 1509/1512 by Jan Gossaert (Netherlandish)

 

-8. A figure from Albrecht Dürer. Ecce Homo. c. 1498. From the series “The Large Passion”.

 

-9. Batman/Superman symbol on Golgotha Mountain (scene taken from  Albrecht Dürer’s “Die Beweinung Christi”)

 

-10. The medieval golden background, commonly used in religious paintings.