The obvious inspiration for the piece is "The Young Sick Bacchus" (Bacchino Malato), also known as the Sick Bacchus or the Self-Portrait as Bacchus, an early self-portrait by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, dated between 1593 and 1594.
I`ve first seen the painting live in 2022 in the Borghese Gallery in Rome and it stuck with me.
The artwork dates from Caravaggio’s first years in Rome when he moved to the Eternal City from his native Milan in the mid-1592. According to historians, the artist was ill at that period and spent six months in the hospital of Santa Maria della Consolazione. The painting probably indicates that Caravaggio’s physical ailment involved malaria, as the appearance of his skin and icterus in the eyes are key factors of active hepatic disease leading to high bilirubin levels.
Apart from its assumed autobiographical content, this early painting was likely used by Caravaggio to market himself, demonstrating his virtuosity in painting genres such as still-life and portraits and hinting at the ability to paint the classical figures of antiquity. The three-quarters angle of the face was among those preferred for late renaissance portraiture, but what is striking is the grimace and tilt of the head, and the very real sense of the suffering; a feature that most Baroque art shares.
A perfect candidate for my Bubblegum series, great subject matter and a pleasant challenge from the technical point of view!
With this series, I take the images "the serious me" would create, I add out-of-place, sometimes even kitsch, elements to the mix in an attempt to bring playfulness and childhood joy into the life of my adult self.
Ultimately, my goal is to pay homage to the great artists of the past while also finding ways to make their aesthetic relevant and accessible to contemporary audiences.
By combining the traditions of the Old Masters with the means of modern photography, I hope to create images that are both timeless and modern, and that speak to the enduring beauty and humanity of the human experience.
