SOLD: Mayan Stele #8

Mayan Stele #8 • Lilly Johnson

pencil and glue on cardboard

The artist’s piece was inspired by her study of Mayan temple decorations, particularly the decorative columns called “stele.” These ancient works traditionally depict symbols which represent stories of nature, their people, and their gods. This original design uses traditional religious imagery to depict a new view of the crucifix. At the center of the cross, we see a fallen Jesus Christ on his hands and knees crushed by a joyful heart. This symbolism is rendered in erasable pencil to highlight the frailty of such mental constructs and beliefs. This is further contrasted against a 3-dimensional reality of symbolic mountains and streams, and the circular symbol of earth. Their 3-d effect was achieved by outlining selected parts of the foundational drawing with lines of glue pressed into the cardboard.

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