Donald F. Martin
Artist
Depose No. 135, 12 x 9 ft., 2011, mixed media on canvas
My work is influenced by my Roman Catholic upbringing and an early awareness of the contradictions that exist between belief and practice. Images of the crucifix, saints, reliquaries, liturgical colors and religious text surrounded me as a child and were engrained into my subconscious. This exposure sparked an interest in art history, the Renaissance, and the Christian imagery of medieval art. I am fascinated by the symbolic meanings assigned to this imagery; furthermore I am interested in the interpretations that transcend the precepts of Catholic doctrine, both secular and non secular. In the broader sense, I am perplexed by the subjective interpretations ascribed to secular and non secular imagery and text. Particularly disconcerting are the extreme and often times contradictory interpretations between belief and practice linked to contemporary issues where discrimination, hatred, and violence are cultivated. Of note in today’s media are those interpretations based upon religious dogma, such as those spewing hatred at military funerals.
Presently, my work references text from a family reliquary and the stag, a Christian symbol for Christ. The stag was inspired by an early morning encounter when I drove upon an injured deer lying in the middle of a road, most likely hit by a car. I observed this beautiful animal as it struggled to raise itself. Eventually succeeding, it half walked, half crawled off the road, and vanished into the early morning mist. I was inspired by the animal’s strength and sheer will to live. More amazingly, it had left no trace of blood behind or any evidence that it had ever been there; that it had ever struggled for its life; that it had ever existed at all.
Whether my inspiration comes from childhood imagery or a fallen deer in the middle of the road, my work will continue to explore and examine the many perceptions of imagery, both societies perceptions and my own.
Presently, my work references text from a family reliquary and the stag, a Christian symbol for Christ. The stag was inspired by an early morning encounter when I drove upon an injured deer lying in the middle of a road, most likely hit by a car. I observed this beautiful animal as it struggled to raise itself. Eventually succeeding, it half walked, half crawled off the road, and vanished into the early morning mist. I was inspired by the animal’s strength and sheer will to live. More amazingly, it had left no trace of blood behind or any evidence that it had ever been there; that it had ever struggled for its life; that it had ever existed at all.
Whether my inspiration comes from childhood imagery or a fallen deer in the middle of the road, my work will continue to explore and examine the many perceptions of imagery, both societies perceptions and my own.
