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| Contemporary Saint Sebastian was a Christian martyr who was reportedly killed by the Roman Empire for his faith. In art, he is often depicted as a young man with a muscular build, tied to a tree or column and being shot with arrows. The subject of Saint Sebastian has been popular in European painting, sculpture, and other forms of artistic expression for centuries. His face has a saintly expression, but beyond his face, he loses dignity. He’s shot with rubber-tipped toy arrows. He’s bound with yarn to a pillar by his cat, who sits straight-faced nearby. I had the arrows made and custom painted for this painting. I photographed them and added them to the picture. The table is from The Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art. It's British from the 18th century, done in the Neoclassical style, appropriate to the theme of Saint Sebastian. The small bird is a Eurasian Blue tit, a European bird. His job is to be as a spectator to the drama. This might be the only fully-clothed Saint Sebastian in existence. Corinne Geertsen's images are quirky visual narratives about psychological predicaments. They pull a lot of subconscious strings. The pictures are photo composites, printed with archival ink on archival photo paper in small editions. She works from my expanding library of over 20,000 images. Often she will paint something, photograph it and add it in digitally. The pictures lean toward surrealism, as they have odd juxtapositions, non sequiturs, and an element of surprise. Geertsen's intent is to psychologically engage and delight. She sees a lot of humor and psychology in the nature of life and both inform her pictures. The characters are usually Geertsen's family ancestors. "I'm on a constant photographic scavenger hunt, outfitting them with backdrops, sidekicks and belongings" she says. She gravitates towards pictorial elements that are symbolically loaded. Symbolism brings in associations particular to the psychology of the person viewing the picture. The pictures are completed when seen. Corinne Geertsen is represented exclusively in Santa Fe at POP Gallery. Contact us directly for availability and pricing at 505.820.0788 or email Sharla@popsantafe.com. |
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