Forsaken
2011
Oil and crayon on canvas
200 x 100 x 2.5 cm
His eyes looking heavenward and his mouth open, Christ suffers, endures or begs. The expression on his face and his gnarled, bruised body reflect total suffering and a moment of instability between life and death. Nailed to the cross, which is evoked by two white flat areas protruding from a black background, this human-sized Christ figure is forced to face his fate.
Marlene Dumas explores the most intense human emotions through painting. To do this, she often re-uses recurring themes from art history, especially religious painting, endowing it with a contemporary dimension.
Her painting Forsaken, which is in the Pinault Collection, was first exhibited in 2014 during the "Prima Materia" ("Raw Material") show at the Punta della Dogana.
Marlene Dumas explores the most intense human emotions through painting. To do this, she often re-uses recurring themes from art history, especially religious painting, endowing it with a contemporary dimension.
Her painting Forsaken, which is in the Pinault Collection, was first exhibited in 2014 during the "Prima Materia" ("Raw Material") show at the Punta della Dogana.
Exhibitions
Courtesy the artist and Frith Street Gallery, London
