‘Heaven Scent’
This is my first ever oil painting – the earliest Jensen Dean artwork!
‘Heaven Scent’ is a pastiche appropriation of the two cherubs residing beneath the feet of Mary in Raphael’s Sistine Madonna. I attempted a renaissance style oil replication then added another layer depicting the gas masks that humanity’s pollution has forced the cherubim to wear. Cherubs are a well-known religious iconography that symbolise innocence, purity, and a representation of the perfect world. I have juxtaposed this stereotype to express ideas about the current social issues of environmental destruction and pollution. Once the viewer comprehends the conceptual narrative behind the masks, the once heavenly clouds behind the cherubs now mimic a smog filled paradise. The war-time gas masks were originally used to save soldiers from an agonising death by asphyxiation and protect from mustard gas. Now that God’s cherubs are needing to use them, the painting teases that the current day’s existence and perfect world is threatened. When I first exhibited this painting, I added background music of the timeless 1956 song ‘Pollution’ performed by satirist Tom Lehrer.
My original artwok ‘Heaven Scent’ is currently for sale.
Details
- Title: ‘Heaven Scent’ (2021)
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Size: 80cm x 40cm
- Frame: Wood, Gold ornate
- ORIGINAL ARTWORK – FOR SALE
”I love the message behind this artwork.