Generally speaking, mural painting -pictorial surface which is part of a specific architecture- is rendered in the form of multiple events where the viewer becomes submerged and in the case of important murals, the experience extends itself into a notion of embracement. Lying on your back with no people (virtually impossible) at the Sistine Chapel is a breathtaking moment. Far away from the complexities of the Sistine Chapel, the idea of conceiving a mural in the form of a portrait is a difficult task, especially when the dangers of falling into a billboard connotation are most probable. Most of us are familiar with Chuck Close oversize portraits where the dilemma lies precisely in the fact of something which was intentionally blown up or the scale was misunderstood. So, in order to retain a sense of scale and equilibrium, the portrait must somehow translate into a field of events through the articulation of a second theme represented by the Mesoamerican monoliths. These breathing holes which gravitate on each panel dissipate our irresistible reading of a postcard portrait.
3 Comments
thea walstra 22 Sep 2004
I am a big fan of your work AlexanderN. Michael Bryant 22 Sep 2004
this is intense. you went to great lenghts on the description, thats awesome! beautifulHilton Harris 22 Sep 2004
Very cool image. Well done.