Virgen de las Revelaciones
(2013)
Oil
and metal leaf on polyptych panel 31” x 47”
Virgen de las Revelaciones (Virgin of Revelations) is one of my latest paintings inspired on the image of the woman of the Apocalypse from the descriptions
of the book of Revelations. As part of
my project “Devocionales” Neo-colonial retablos from an Archetypal perspective",
this particular piece stands as a center piece and mother of all other retablo
paintings in this collection.. In it I depict a Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven standing on a dragon
with seven heads and surrounded by Tarot cards that often have been associated
with divination practices. The image of
the Heavenly Assumption of the Virgin is herself associated with the last Major
Arcana of the Tarot; The World, which shows a dancing woman surrounded by
astrological symbols. The seven headed dragon reminds us of the seven deadly
sins, which endows the creature with new meaning in
this particular case. The seven headed dragon looking up to the Virgin (World) represent
Government Pride, Consumerist Gluttony, Banking Greed, Media Envy, Military
Wrath, Corporate Lust and Sloth.
Detail of Virgen de las Revelaciones
(2013)
Oil
and metal leaf on polyptych panel 31” x 47”
The attached painted panels resembling Tarot cards
include the 21 major Arcana plus “The Fool”. There are two additional square
like panels that are not part of the Tarot but correspond to two religious
traditions from the West and the East; The Cruficied Christ and the Sitting Buddha. The 24 miniature panel
paintings correspond directly to the archetypes and core themes addressed in
all of the retablo paintings comprised in “Devocionales”. In other words "La Virgen de las Revelaciones" is a visual encyclopedia of the most relevant symbols, key concepts and archetypes expressed in all of my work. A brief description of these is as follows:
El
Crucificado (The Crucified)
The image of Christ is crucified to a tree
was not uncommon to European painters during the Middle Ages and Renaissance
period. In Catholic Tradition, Christ is often referred to as the Tree of Life
from the book of Genesis. There is an ecological implication as well with this
image. That is why right behind Christ there is a factory and a construction
crane symbolizing the pollution brought by the industrial modern age and human
progress. A sign above Christ’s head reads “ECO”. Christ stands as a symbol of
suffering in the face of environmental crisis.
El Iluminado (The Illuminated)
The Sitting Buddha is not titled or labeled and sits
peacefully in the middle and under a tree and in front of an urban landscape. The
billboard, electric poles and communications tower refer to the postmodern age
of Information and mass media. The Buddha stands as a symbol of moderation and
non-attachment to this world of illusions and distractions. The cero on top
represents the state of emptiness but also wholeness of being.
El Loco (The Fool)
The Fool also
known as the court jester or buffoon is usually unnumbered and therefore
considered of cero value. This however give the fool an advantage, as he can go
wherever he wants and whenever he wishes without responding to social
structures or conventions. He breaks the rules by becoming an outcast. In this interpretation
of the Tarot, the fool is dressed up as a colonial “jibaro” (Mountain dwelling
peasant) walking half barefooted with his faithful dog companion towards a
super department store that reads” Always Fool Center”.
El Mago (The Magician)
The first card is
that of the Magician which in this case I have reinterpreted as a colonial
painter. Inspired in the Puerto Rican Colonial Painter Jose Campeche and his
contemporary Francisco Goya, this painter holds the secret to light not only in
his palette and paint brush but also on an unexpected laptop that sits on the
table in front of him. This “Neo-Colonial” painter is aided not only by history
but by Information Technology in order to create.
La Papisa (The Popess)
La Emperatriz (The Empress)
The Major Arcana 3
depicts a woman dressed up in colonial dress. She is a lady of power and
prestige but in this case also a person who not only consumes but also becomes
an embodiment for consumerism itself. She holds a TV set on one hand and an ice
cream on the other. A famous fast food chain restaurant can be seen in the
background. The objects and symbols in
this image are concerned with appearances and the material world.
El Emperador (The Emperor)
This card speaks
of power and government. Sitting on a throne, this emperor holds a stack of dollar
bills and a staff with an eagle as an emblem of Imperial power. Beneath his
feet lies the globe and in the background we see a building that resembles the
U.S. Capitol building with a drone flying by. A medal with a dollar sign hangs
from the emperor’s neck. Given the
mentioned symbols, this card takes on a new meaning. The senile Saturnine
principle is recalled with an old tired Uncle Sam looking serious and straight
at the viewer.
El Papa (The Pope)
Traditionally the
Pope represents religious authority in our western patriarchal society. During
the conquest and colonization of Latin America, his authority was supreme and
Catholic dogma justified every imperial policy in the New World. Today the
Mainstream Media disseminates and justifies the actions of the big banks and
corporations, the new colonial powers in our globalized world. In a world ruled
by money, the neo-colonial supreme papal authorities of this era are the big
banks (World Bank, International Monetary Fund & others).
Los Amantes (The Lovers)
A young colonial
man stands under a tree and in between two young women. One of them, dressed up
as a “muse” points up at the tree where a cupid with an I-pod is hiding right
above the man. The indigenous woman covers herself and looks up at the cupid.
Traditionally this card has been associated with free will and choices in life.
For this reason there are also two fast food restaurants in the background,
where one must decide to eat.
This analogy
refers to the notion that often we are presented with the illusion of free
choice, when in fact it’s just another way of control.
El Carro (The Car)
Long distance
travel, voyages and immigration are all linked to this particular archetype. These new Immigrants and explorers now travel
on trucks, pick-ups and SUV’s. The
emerging pioneer standing on top of the vehicle has decided to set foot on new
territories, try his luck & seek for new opportunities in Promised Land.
La Justicia (Justice)
The image of the Archangel St. Michael was
and still is a very well known symbol for justice in the Americas since
colonial times. The devil under St.
Michael in this re-interpretation is portrayed as a modern day armed thug.
Instead of a sword, St. Michael holds up a police baton.
El Ermitano (The Hermit)
The Hermit is the ninth card in
most Tarot decks and it is associated with introspection and the old sage
archetype. This is a “fool” who has grown old and now seeks inner wisdom. He
may become the mentor of a future hero or he may even become a saint. In this
occasion, the hermit holds a flashlight in front of him. It is dark but we can
see what looks like cookie cutter houses in the background and a sign that
reads “Foreclosure”. The hermit now has become homeless.
La Rueda de la Fortuna
(Wheel of Fortune)
The tenth card is that of the “Wheel of Fortune” and it is
one of the most interesting cards from the the Major Arcana in the Tarot. For
the first time we encounter a card that can carry all other archetypes in an
ambiguous narrative. Overall the overarching theme here is constant movement,
round, up and down and in all directions. What goes up must come down and so do
all corporations, governments and cultures.
The Wheel of Fortune seems like a perfect symbol for a profit based
society. While Mickey seems to be going up to the top, Topo Gigio, popular
children’s character in Latin American culture is struggling under the wheel. Uncle Pennybags from monopoly seems to rule
the game from the top.
La Fuerza (Strength)
On this card from the Visconti-Sforza to the Rider Waite,
Strength has been represented as woman gently closing the jaws of a lion. Other decks have been inspired by the myth of
Hercules or Samson. Perhaps the Latin American Icon that is most famous
embodiment of this archetype is the Mexican wrestler “El Santo”. In this scene,
“El Santo wrestles with a lion while Superman flies up to stop a military
drone. In the background we can also find a well known Spanish colonial saint
associated with these attributes; Santiago Matamorros, the patron saint of the
conquest. The Spanish colonial Morro “Fort” reinforces the Mars/Ares Archetype.
El Colgado (The Hanged Man)
The Hanged Man is a card usually
associated with sacrifice, punishment, suspension and giving up. In this
re-interpretation, a Papantla flyer from Mexico, is hanged upside-down while a
helicopter flies by and an oil rig is seen on the horizon. Winged Icarus from
Greek Mythology falling from the sky reinforces the sense of fall, vertigo and
surrender. Prometheus is also another Mythic figure associated with this card as well as Saint Sebastian.
Muerte (Death)
Honoring the Tarot of Marseille, one of the oldest Tarot
decks, this image remains untitled. Even though the skeleton is almost
immediately associated with death, by not naming it, we are open to interpret
this image without the limiting it to just “endings”. In the sky a military jet
throws bombs over a ruined city, a nuclear explosion takes place besides
it. The semi-veiled skeleton is wearing
a gas mask carries the world in his hands and uses a scythe as a crutch. This is not only a symbol for death and
destruction but also of pollution, decay and sickness.
La Templanza (Temperance)
Along with Justice, Prudence and Strength, Temperance is one
of the four cardinal virtues from classical Greek Philosophy. Temperance is
also known as moderation; therefore it can be easily linked with the consumer
habits of the modern world. An angel is mixing two fluids from two recipients.
Traditionally this allegory has been represented through art history with an
angel mixing wine with water. In this
version, coke is being mixed. Bottled
water and a gas recipient can be seen near the angel’s feet to symbolize resources over consumed with
severe environmental consequences today.
El Diablo (The Devil)
A strong occult image, the devil
along with death is one of the most feared archetypes widely recognized in
art. In Judeo/Christian traditional
imagery, the devil has changed its shape from dragon, beast, monster, man,
woman to an androgynous being. In this image, the devil is represented as both
woman and man with erected penis holding a torch, with bat wings and horned
mask, crowning this character as a master/mistress of deception. With beastly
feet, the devil stands over the World Bank logo while an enslaved satyr like
woman and man are blindfolded and tied up in debt.
La Torre (The Tower)
The Tower in most Tarot decks is
shown struck by lightning and with people falling out of the top. This image is
usually associated with unexpected accidents but also liberation from
imprisonments. The tower in question here is an airport control tower and an
airplane is seen flying by while a man and a woman fall off to the ground. A cannon with a pyramid of cannonballs can be
seen in the foreground. The planet Uranus is related to the same themes as well
as flight.
La Estrella (The Star)
For this card I was inspired on
both the Ryder Waite and the Della Rocca Tarot. This card depicts a kneeling woman
holding two jars and spilling a liquid over dry land and water. Eight stars light up the night sky while a
ninth star is represented on a gas station sign. An artificially illuminated
bay alludes to energy, hope and optimism.
La Luna (The Moon)
The Moon is one of the richest
symbols in the Tarot. It is one of the most mysterious and intriguing cards to interpret.
Inspired in both Marseille and Della Rocca Tarot decks, I have appropriated the
duo of howling dogs but substituted the crab or lobster in the foreground with
Pop culture Futurama’s Zoidberg, a lobster like alien. In the distance we can
see an old water tower and a lighthouse. A boat is being guided by the
Moonlight reflected on the Sea.
El Sol (The Sun)
After the dark, comes the light.
The Sun card from Tarot of Marseille depicts two children facing each other
with a protective wall behind them. This image is associated with innocence,
childhood and happiness. In this new image, the children enjoy a day at a Disney
theme park while they look up at the Sun with the “Target” like logo which
happens to be the symbol of the Sun itself.
El Juicio Final (The Last Judgement)
Arcana Major 20 is the Last
Judgement in which the Archangel Gabriel is depicted with a loud speaker
instead of a trumpet and the dead are resurrecting from shopping carts instead
of tombs. In the background a strip mall reads “Mall Depart”. Billboards and
large ads can be seen behind the building. The symbols in this image refer to
awakening through advertisement and annunciation.
El Mundo (The World)
The final card of the Major
Arcana of the Tarot is “The World. Traditionally
this card depicts a nude woman holding a staff and ball while dancing in the
middle of the composition with four zodiacal symbols and Evangelists (a lion
representing Leo/Mark, a Bull representing Taurus/Lucas, an eagle representing
Scorpio/John and an angel representing Aquarius/ Mathew) at the four corners. In this occasion, the
world is represented by the Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus. On the four corners:
Guns, Germs, Steel and Imperialism, four great forces that have influenced and shaped the
world from the colonial to the neo-colonial.
Detail of Virgen de las Revelaciones
(2013)
Oil
and metal leaf on polyptych panel 31” x 47”
Patrick McGrath Muñiz
"Virgen de las Revelaciones" is one of the 20 devotional paintings that will be featured in my upcoming solo exhibition "Devocionales: Neo-Colonial Retablos from an Archetypal Perspective" to be held at the Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum in Mesa, Arizona. The opening reception will be on September 13th, 2013. It is free and open to the public. For more information about this exhibition visit www.mesaartscenter.com
If you are interested in purchasing a painting from this collection you can visit or contact Jane Sauer Gallery
