JESUS # 19 - May 14th


"Pietà from Israel"
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Believe it or not, this is an oil painting I bought from a seller in Tel Aviv, Israel. It arrived rolled up in a tube, still wet. The seller confirmed that it had just been painted by an art student (the signature reads "Megk"). I had it transferred to this frame.

It looks quite grand now, very dark and quite brutal with the black blood. I'm not too convinced about the quality of the way the nads are painted and Mary certainly did not wear the type of clothing indicated. The nun's attire was invented a couple of hundred years later.

I learned that the Pietà is a fixed motive with Mary cradling Jesus after he was taken down from the cross. If the motive shows other people the "motive is strictly called Lamentation" (or so wikipedia knows). It is also number 13 of the Stations of the Cross, of which I have another small image I will post later on.

I'm not sure about prices for paint and canvas in Israel and if you have to pay for it if you're an art student, but the price of 12,99 Euro for this painting is laughably cheap, whether you like it or not. Either you could say it's worthless because of the quality, or you'd have to charge more because of the effort someone put into it. Maybe I just have no idea of the decorative arts market ...