At the risk of changing the subject slightly, I have a new artistic discovery...
I think many of us will be familiar with the resin sculpture, 'No al Feminicidio', by Guatamalan artist Manolo Gallardo which he produced in reaction to the murders of and violence against women just a few years ago. Whilst I was aware of this large figure (see illustrations) and the negative response it provoked, I was not aware of his other work until recently. 'No al Feminicidio' was considered a parody of a devotional crucifix, and Gallardo defended the figure by denying this and suspending her on a hoop instead of a cross. Nevertheless, she had to be removed from display outside the Centro Cultural Miguel Angel Asturias.
I recommend a look at Gallardo's website manologallardo.com for viewing another resin bas relief entitled 'Crucificadas'. This time Gallardo leaves us in no doubt that the three girls depicted are indeed crucified. He indicates that the work is inspired by the murders of two girls and their mother and aunt in January 2013. The groundwork is punctuated by human bones and skulls whilst three butterflies, one beside each girl, symbolise the Mirabel sisters who were assassinated in 1960 after opposing the dictator of the Dominican Republic.
'Crucificadas' is a powerful and beautiful visual statement, but as Gallardo has indicated the ages of the crucified girls to be 7, 14 and 21, I shall leave posting of the image to the discretion of the site supervisors in this case (and I apologise if the image is already on the site!)
Gallardo's website contains other work in bas relief and I submit one here to provide a flavour. There are also large numbers of beautiful paintings of girls and women, many portrayed as fairies or other fantasy subjects. The work of this very talented draughtsman and painter has only just come to my attention, and I cannot resist sharing some of my favourites over three posts. I hope you like them too.