Madeleine Malone
“Christian Art in the Grotesque”
Exploring how can something commonly viewed as beautiful and delicate, such as Christian art, can be transformed and manipulated into the macabre, grotesque and abject.
Madeleine Malone
Concept one: “God’s foot soldier: The Cherub (part 02)”
Gouache, clay, Aluminum foil, Chicken wire, faux pearls
Madeleine Malone
Abstract 01
When beginning my final project, and really beginning this class in January, I wanted to explore art that made people feel uncomfortable. I have always been interested in horror in all forms– art, literature, cinema, music, and I have tried to replicate that appreciation within my own work. My first piece, “The Cherub”, was originally the head from my Installation project, which I hung from the ceiling with a braided rope, but I was able to construct a full, robust body for the once lonesome head. I began by creating an aluminum foil base and overlaying clay on top of my mold. I then continued adding and cutting into the clay I had laid to create folds within the skin, which I later enhanced with gouache paint. If I had more time, I would have created small, circular wings for the cherub similar to a small bug instead of the large chicken wire wings.
Madeleine Malone
Concept Two: “The Devil’s foot soldier: Cerberus”
three 7×10 pieces of black paper, chalk pastels
Madeleine Malone
Abstract 02
My second project, “The Devil’s foot soldier: Cerberus”, was meant to contrast the first, which represents the foot soldier of God, the cherub or angel. Originally this piece was meant to be a sculpture as well, but I quickly realized I had bit off more than I could chew. I decided to create a bust of the heads of the three-headed guard-dog of Hell, Cerberus, but once I had finished I felt like the piece was incomplete. That’s when I decided to create a three-panel piece cemented on poster board; three representing the Holy Trinity. Forgetting the Shoe Project at the beginning of the semester, I feel as though I haven’t done any pieces that showed off my drawing capabilities, even though I believe it’s my most impressive and developed medium. I used a deep red in both depictions of God and the Devils’ soldiers, suggesting that they have just been in battle with one another, and the incorporation of the black paper allowed for a more Hellish background contrasting the light silver and bows on the cherub’s wings.
Madeleine Malone
Concept three: “Noah and the Great Flood”
Sheet Metal, spot welder, hammer/mallet and anvil, and a blowtorch
Madeleine Malone
Abstract 03
My third and final project, “Noah and the Flood”, was meant to be a sort of incorporation of both sides, Devil and Angel, clashing into one another with the infamous flood of the world and the survival of Noah and his animals on the ark, despite the sins of the world around him. For this project I really tried to go out of my comfort zone: I hated the metal shop and thought it was terrifying, so my choice to return for my final project was uncomfortable to say the least. With all of this said, I utilized twice the number of tools within the shop to complete this project than I had previously and saw my skills working with metal improve drastically in a short period of time. I chose to use the blowtorch to create the blue coloring on the abstract waves I created from spot welding sheet metal, and I used multiple mallets, hammers, and anvils to create and shape the ship I had intended Noah to be sailing on. I intended for the waves to appear whimsical and smooth to contrast the sharp angles of the ship, highlighting the contrast between man, the Devil, and God.
The goal of this collection was to incite questions, feelings, and even concerns of how something commonly treated as beautiful can be manipulated with art and perception into something grotesque, ugly, and mangled, even something as old as Christian art and literature.
Madeleine Malone
The Cherub (Installation), part 01
- Hanging installation piece
- Chicken wire, Gouache paint, duct tape, clay, aluminum foil, yarn.
